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REMEMBER   THE  ALAMO !     DOWN  WITH    SANTA  ANNA  !  ' " 


ZlDerJcan  TKIlar  Series 


FOR  THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS 


BY 


EDWAED     STRATEMEYEE 

Author  of  "  "With  Taylor  on  the  Eio  Grande,"  "  Under  Scott  in  Mexico, 

"Dave  Porter  Series,"  "Old  Glory  Series,"  "Pan-American  Series," 

"  Lakeport  Series,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY  LOUIS   MEYNELLE 


'  :     J>h 


BOSTON 
LOTHROP,   LEE   &    SHEPARD  CO. 


Copyright,  1900,  by  Dana  Estes  &  Company 
Copyright,  1909,  by  Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co, 


All  Rights  Reserved 


For  the  Liberty  of  Texas 


Set  up  and  Electrotyped  by  Colonial  Press,  Boston 


Printed  by  Berwick  &  Smith  Co.,  Norwood 


PREFACE, 


"  For  the  Liberty  of  Texas  "  is  a  tale  complete 
in  itself,  but  it  forms  the  first  of  a  line  of  three 
volumes  to  be  known  under  the  general  title  of  the 
"Mexican  War  Series." 

Primarily  the  struggle  of  the  Texans  for  freedom 
did  not  form  a  part  of  our  war  with  Mexico,  yet 
this  struggle  led  up  directly  to  the  greater  war  to 
follow,  and  it  is  probably  a  fact  that,  had  the 
people  of  Texas  not  at  first  accomplished  their 
freedom,  there  would  have  been  no  war  between 
the  two  larger  republics. 

The  history  of  Texas  and  her  struggle  for  liberty 
is  unlike  that  of  any  other  State  in  our  Union,  and 
it  will  be  found  to  read  more  like  a  romance  than 
a  detail  of  facts.  Here  was  a  territory,  immense 
in  size,  that  was  little  better  than  a  wilderness,  a 
territory  gradually  becoming  settled  by  Americans, 
Mexicans,  Spaniards,  French,  and  pioneers  of  other 
nations,  a  territory  which  was  the  home  of  the 
bloodthirsty    Comanche    and    other    Indians,    and 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

which  was  overrun  with  deer,  buffalo,  and  the 
wild  mustang,  and  which  was,  at  times,  the  gather- 
ing ground  for  the  most  noted  desperadoes  of  the 
southwest. 

This  territory  formed,  with  Coahuila,  one  of  the 
States  of  Mexico,  but  the  government  was  a  gov- 
ernment in  name  only,  and  the  people  of  Texas 
felt  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  they 
withdraw  from  the  Mexican  Confederation,  in 
order  to  protect  themselves,  their  property,  and 
their  individual  rights,  for,  with  the  scheming 
Mexicans  on  one  side  of  them,  and  the  murderous 
Indians  on  the  other,  nothing  was  safe  from 
molestation. 

The  contest  was  fought  largely  by  men  who 
knew  little  or  nothing  of  the  art  of  war,  but  men 
whose  courage  was  superb.  At  first  only  defeat 
stared  the  intrepid  band  in  the  face,  and  hundreds 
were  lost  at  the  Alamo,  at  the  massacre  of  Goliad, 
and  elsewhere,  but  then  there  came  upon  the  scene 
the  figure  of  the  dashing  and  daring  General  Sam 
Houston,  and  under  his  magnetic  leadership  the 
army  of  the  Mexican  general,  Santa  Anna,  was 
routed  utterly,  and  the  liberty  of  Texas  was 
secured  beyond  further  dispute. 

Edward  Stratemeyer. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     The  Home  on  the  Frontier      .        .       n 


II.  The  Disappearance  of  the  Deer 

III.  A   Quarrel  and  Its  Result 

IV.  Something    about    the    Indians    in 

Texas 

V.  The  Attack  on  the  Ranch 

VI.  Poke  Stover  to  the  Front 

VII.  In  and  Out  of  the  Burning  Cabin 

VIII.  An  Unsuccessful  Pursuit  . 

IX.  Big  Foot  and  the  Missing  Papers 

X.  The  Situation  in  Mexico   . 

XI.  The  Opening  of  the  War  . 

XII.  The  March  on  San  Antonio 

XIII  A  Fight  with  a  Puma 

XIV.  The  Battle  of  Concepcion 

XV.  Dan  Turns  the  Tables 

XVI.  After  a  Missing  Mustang 

XVII.  The    Grass    Fight,   and   What   Fol 

lowed  ..... 

XVIII.  Dan  Comes  to  Grief   . 
7 


19 
28 

36 

44 
S3 
62 

7i 

81 

89 

97 

105 

113 

121 

129 

137 

145 
154 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

XIX.  The  Cave  in  the  Ravine    . 

XX.  Flight  and  Pursuit     . 

XXI.  What  Happened  to  Ralph 

XXII.  The  Attack  on  San  Antonio 

XXIII.  The  Surrender  of  the  City 

XXIV.  A  Midnight  Discovery 
XXV.  March  of  Santa  Anna  into  Texas 

XXVI.  Wild  Turkeys  and  Another  Trail 

XXVII.  The  Mexican  Army  at  San  Antonio 

XXVIII.  Within  the  Walls  of  the  Mission  . 

XXIX.  The  Fall  of  the  Alamo    . 

XXX.  Escaping  to  the  River 

XXXI.  Something     about      General     Sam 

Houston     ...... 

XXXII.  In  Which   the   Texan   Army  Falls 

Back 

XXXIII.  The  Victory  of  San  Jacinto    . 

XXXIV.  Back  to  the  Ranch  —  Conclusion   . 


161 
169 
177 
185 
194 
204 
212 
223 

233 

242 
250 
257 

265 

274 
283 
293 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

" '  Remember  the   Alamo  !     Down  with   Santa 

Anna  ! ' "    .         .         .         .         .         .        Frontispiece 

" '  You  sha'n't  leave  this  spot  until  you  give 
up   that   deer,   and   that's    all   there   is 

to  it  !  '  " 27 

"  Following  the  trail  of  the  Comanches  "     .       70 
" '  Hold    on,'     he    cried    to    Henry     Parker. 

'  Something  is  in  that  bush  ! ' "  .  .  .  98 
'"Hold  back!'  yelled  Dan"  .  .  .  .  157 
<"  You  rascal!  Get  back,  or  I'll  shoot!'"  .  212 
" '  That's   what  I   call  a  pretty  good   haul,' 

cried  Dan,  enthusiastically  "  .  .  .  229 
"He  began  to  lower  himself  into  the  hole"    258 


FOR  THE   LIBERTY   OF  TEXAS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    HOME    ON    THE    FRONTIER. 

"  Dan  !    Dan !    Come   quick   and   see   what    I 

brought  down  with  the  gun !  " 

"Why,  Ralph,  was  that  you  I  heard  shooting? 
I  thought  it  was  father." 

"  No ;  I  was  out,  down  by  the  river  bank,  and  I 
brought  down  the  finest  deer  you  ever  set  eyes 
on.  He  was  under  the  bunch  of  pecan-trees,  and 
I  let  him  have  it  straight  in  the  neck  and  brought 
him  down  the  first  crack.  Now  what  do  .you 
think  of  that  ?  " 

Ralph  Radbury's  rather  delicate  face  was  all 
aglow  with  excitement  and  pardonable  pride,  as  he 
spoke,  leaning  on  his  father's  gun,  a  long,  old- 
fashioned  affair  that  had  been  in  the  family's  pos- 
session for  many  years.  Ralph  was  but  a  boy  of 
eight,  although  years  of  life  in  the  open  air  had 
given  him  the  appearance  of  being  older. 


12  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  What  do  I  think  ? "  cried  Dan,  who  was 
Ralph's  senior  by  six  years.  "  I  think  you'll 
become  a  second  Davy  Crockett  or  Dan'l  Boone 
if  you  keep  on.  It's  a  wonder  the  deer  let  you 
come  so  close.  The  wind  is  blowing  toward  the 
stream." 

"  I  trailed  around  to  the  rocks  where  we  had 
the  tumble  last  winter,  and  then  I  came  up  as 
silently  as  a  Comanche  after  a  scalp.  I  was  just 
about  ready  to  fire  when  the  deer  took  alarm,  but 
I  caught  him  when  he  raised  his  head,  and  all  he 
gave  was  one  leap  and  it  was  all  over.  Where  is 
father  ?  I  must  tell  him."  And  Ralph  looked 
around  impatiently. 

"  I  don't  know  where  father  is,  if  he  isn't  down 
by  the  river.  I  thought  he  went  off  to  look  up 
those  hogs  that  got  away  last  Saturday.  In  these 
times,  so  he  says,  we  can't  afford  to  lose  six  fat 
porkers." 

"  Perhaps  those  rushers  who  were  on  their  way 
to  Bexar  rounded  them  up  on  the  sly." 

"  No ;  father  put  the  crowd  down  for  honest 
men,  and  he  rarely  makes  a  mistake  in  judging  a 
man,  Ralph.  Either  the  hogs  got  away  by  them- 
selves or  else  some  of  those  sneaking  Comanches 
have  been  around  again." 

"  Oh,  Dan,  that  puts  me  in  mind,  —  when  I  was 
up  at  the  rocks  I  was  almost  certain  I  saw  one  of 
the  Indians  farther  up  the  river.     As  soon  as  I 


THE   HOME    ON  THE  FRONTIER.  1 3 

looked  that  way  he  dodged  out  of  sight,  so  I  only 
caught  one  glimpse  of  him  —  if  he  really  was  an 
Indian." 

At  his  younger  brother's  words,  Dan  Radbury's 
face  took  on  a  look  of  deep  concern.  "  You  are 
not  real  sure  it  was  an  Indian  ?  "  he  questioned, 
after  a  pause. 

"No,  but  I'm  pretty  sure,  too.  But  even  if  it 
was  an  Indian  it  might  have  been  Choctaw  Tom, 
you  know." 

"You're  wrong  there,  Ralph.  All  the  Caddo 
Indians  are  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  if  it  was 
Tom  he  wouldn't  hide  away  after  you  had  spotted 
him.  More  than  likely  it  was  a  dirty  Comanche, 
and  if  it  was  —  well,  we  had  better  tell  father 
about  it,  that's  all." 

"Why,  you  don't  think  — "  Ralph  paused, 
abruptly. 

"  I  know  a  Comanche  isn't  to  be  trusted. 
Come,  let  us  look  at  the  deer,  and  let  us  try  to 
find  father  at  the  same  time.    Is  the  gun  loaded  ? " 

"No."  Ralph  looked  sheepish.  "I  —  I  was 
so  pleased  to  bring  down  the  deer  I  forgot  all 
about  loading  again." 

"  Then  you're  not  such  a  famous  hunter,  after 
all,  Ralph.  The  wise  man,  especially  in  these 
parts,  loads  up  before  his  gun-barrel  has  a  chance 
to  cool.  Put  in  your  load  at  once,  and  I'll  bring 
along  that  Mexican  escopeta  father  traded  in  for  a 


14  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

mustang  last  week.  I  don't  believe  the  old  gun 
is  of  much  account,  but  it  will  be  better  than 
nothing." 

"  Father  wouldn't  take  it  from  the  greaser  if  it 
wasn't  all  right.  But  why  must  we  both  be 
armed  ?  Do  you  think  the  Indians  are  close 
by  ? " 

"As  I  said  before,  I  don't  believe  in  trusting 
these  bloodthirsty  Comanches.  Poke  Stover 
knows  them  like  a  book,  and  he  says  they  are 
just  aching  to  go  on  the  war-path,  now  the  gov- 
ernment is  having  so  much  trouble  of  its  own." 

"If  the  Indians  are  around  it  won't  be  safe  to 
leave  the  cabin  alone,"  was  the  younger  boy's 
comment. 

"I  reckon  we  can  leave  it  for  awhile,  Ralph. 
We  won't  be  gone  more  than  an  hour,  at  the 
most,"  concluded  Dan  Radbury,  as  he  disappeared 
into  the  cabin  for  the  firearm  he  had  mentioned. 

The  scene  was  that  of  a  typical  frontier  home, 
in  the  heart  of  Texas,  close  to  the  Guadalupe 
River,  and  about  ten  miles  from  what  was  then  the 
village  of  Gonzales.  It  was  the  year  1835,  and 
the  whole  of  northern  and  western  Texas  could 
truthfully  be  put  down  as  a  "  howling  wilderness," 
overrun  with  deer,  bison,  bears,  and  other  wild 
animals,  wild  horses,  and  inhabited  only  by  the 
savage  and  lawless  Comanche,  Apache,  Cherokee, 
and  numerous  other  tribes  of  Indians.    As  regards 


THE  HOME    ON  THE  FRONTIER.  1 5 

the  rest  of  the  State,  it  may  briefly  be  stated 
that  this  immense  territory  of  thousands  of  square 
miles  contained  not  over  twenty-two  thousand 
white  and  black  people  combined.  How  many 
Indians  there  were  is  not  definitely  known,  but 
they  have  been  estimated  at  fifteen  to  eighteen 
thousand.  The  main  cities  were  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar,  San  Felipe  de  Austin,  Nacogdoches, 
San  Augustine,  Columbia,  and  the  seaport  town 
of  Velasco,  but  not  one  of  these  boasted  of  more 
than  thirty-five  hundred  inhabitants. 

To  this  territory  had  come,  three  years  before, 
Amos  Radbury,  the  father  of  the  two  lads  intro- 
duced at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter.  The 
family  were  from  Georgia,  where  Mr.  Radbury 
had  once  owned  a  large  interest  in  a  tobacco  plan- 
tation. But  a  disastrous  flood  had  robbed  him 
not  only  of  the  larger  portion  of  his  property,  but 
also  of  his  much  beloved  wife,  and,  almost  broken- 
hearted, the  planter  had  sold  off  his  remaining 
interest  in  the  plantation  for  five  thousand  dollars, 
and  emigrated,  first  to  New  Orleans,  and  then  to 
his  present  home.  The  trip  from  New  Orleans 
had  been  made  in  a  prairie  wagon,  drawn  by  a 
double  yoke  of  oxen,  and  had  consumed  many  weeks, 
and  that  trip  over  the  prairies,  through  the  almost 
trackless  forests,  and  across  numerous  dangerous 
fords,  was  one  which  the  boys  were  likely  never  to 
forget.     On  the  way  they  had  fallen  in  with  a 


1 6  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

small  band  of  treacherous  Indians,  but  they  had 
been  saved  by  the  timely  arrival  of  some  friendly 
Caddos,  under  the  leadership  of  Canoma,  a  chief 
well  known  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Texas. 

On  reaching  the  Guadalupe  River,  a  stop  of  two 
weeks  had  been  made  at  Gonzales,  and  then  Mr. 
Radbury  had  obtained  possession  of  a  grant  of 
land  embracing  over  five  hundred  acres,  the  tract 
lying  on  both  sides  of  the  stream.  The  price  paid 
for  the  land  was  ten  cents  per  acre.  This  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at,  since  land  in  other  portions  of 
the  State  was  sold  as  low  as  two  cents  per  acre ! 

The  three  years  spent  in  the  wilderness  had 
done  wonders  for  all  of  the  members  of  the  family. 
The  hard  work  of  clearing  off  the  timber,  planting, 
and  of  building  a  cabin  and  a  cattle  shelter,  had 
done  much  to  make  Mr.  Radbury  forget  his  grief 
over  the  loss  of  his  wife  and  property,  and  the 
rough  outdoor  life  had  made  Daniel  Radbury 
"as  tough  as  a  pine-knot,"  as  he  was  wont  to 
say  himself.  It  had  likewise  done  much  for  little 
Ralph,  who  had  been  a  thin  and  delicate  lad  of 
five  when  leaving  the  old  home  in  the  magnolia 
grove  in  far-off  Georgia.  Even  yet  Ralph  was  not 
as  strong  as  Dan,  but  he  was  fast  becoming  so, 
much  to  his  parent's  satisfaction. 

Amos  Radbury's  venture  had  prospered  from 
the  start.     The  land  was  rich  and  his  crops  were 


THE  HOME    ON   THE   FRONTIER.  I J 

consequently  heavy,  and  no  disease  reached  his 
cattle,  which  speedily  grew  to  the  number  of 
several  hundred  heads.  In  addition  to  his  beeves 
he  had  nearly  a  hundred  hogs,  and  during  the  last 
year  had  taken  to  raising  horses  and  mustangs, 
for  the  market  at  Bexar,  as  San  Antonio  was 
commonly  called. 

The  raising  of  mustangs  had  been  a  source  of 
much  satisfaction  to  the  boys,  who  speedily  learned 
to  ride  so  well  that  even  the  liveliest  of  the  animals 
failed  to  shake  one  or  the  other  off,  although,  of 
course,  neither  could  do  a  thing  when  the  beast 
got  down  and  began  to  roll  over. 

"It's  immense,  to  ride  like  the  wind!"  Dan 
would  cry.  "  There  is  no  better  sport  in  the 
world !  I  don't  wonder  the  Indians  enjoy  it  so 
much." 

"  Yes,  the  Indians  enjoy  it,  and  they'll  enjoy 
getting  our  mustangs,  too,  if  we  give  them  the 
chance,"  had  been  Mr.  Radbury's  reply.  But  so 
far  only  one  mustang  had  been  taken,  and  that 
by  a  Comanche  half-breed  named  Hank  Stiger. 
Stiger  had  been  accused  of  the  crime  by  Mr. 
Radbury,  but  had  pleaded  his  innocence,  and  the 
pioneer  had  dropped  the  matter  rather  than  have 
more  trouble,  since  it  was  known  that  the  half- 
breed  and  the  Comanches  in  the  neighbourhood 
were  closely  related  in  all  their  underhanded  work. 
In  those  days  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  hang 


1 8  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

a  horse  thief,  but  had  this  happened  to  Hank 
Stiger,  it  is  likely  that  the  Comanches  under 
Bison  Head,  who  had  their  hunting-grounds  in  the 
Cross  Timbers,  so-called,  of  the  upper  Colorado 
River,  would  have  gone  on  the  war-path  imme- 
diately following. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    DISAPPEARANCE    OF    THE    DEER. 

The  cabin  was  a  strongly  built  affair  of  rough 
logs,  fifteen  feet  deep  by  thirty  feet  long.  It  was 
divided  into  two  apartments  on  the  ground  floor, 
the  first  used  as  a  general  living-room  and  the 
second  as  a  bedchamber.  From  the  bedchamber 
a  rude  ladder  ran  to  a  loft,  used  as  extra  sleeping- 
quarters  when  the  Radburys  had  company,  and 
also  as  a  storeroom.  There  were  two  windows  in 
the  sleeping-room  below,  and  a  window  and  a  door 
in  the  general  living-room.  Each  of  the  windows 
were  shuttered  with  slabs  of  oak,  secured,  inside, 
by  square  bars  of  ash.  All  of  the  furniture  except- 
ing one  bed,  a  table,  and  two  chairs  was  home- 
made, and  consequently  rather  primitive  in  style, 
and  built  more  for  use  than  for  ornamentation. 

At  one  side  of  the  living-room  was  a  wide,  open 
fireplace,  and  here,  above  the  mantel-shelf,  hung 
the  old  Mexican  escopeta,  or  cavalry  musket,  which 
Dan  intended  to  take  along  on  his  expedition  to 
the  spot  where  Ralph  had  brought  down  the  deer. 
Taking  the  gun  down,  the  youth  saw  to  it  that  the 

»9 


20  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

weapon  was  loaded  and  ready  for  use,  and  rejoined 
his  brother. 

In  those  days  every  Texan  trusted  his  neighbour 
implicitly,  and  nobody  thought  of  locking  up  his 
home  even  though  he  expected  to  be  gone  several 
days,  unless  it  was  thought  that  unfriendly  Indians 
were  about.  The  Radburys  had  gone  away  fre- 
quently, leaving  everything  open,  and  had  never 
suffered,  excepting  as  previously  mentioned.  Once, 
on  returning,  they  had  found  that  some  other  set- 
tlers from  fifty  miles  away  had  stopped  there  over 
night,  but  this  was  explained  in  a  note  stuck  to  the 
eating-table,  the  "neighbour"  offering  to  "square 
up "  on  demand.  When  the  two  parties  met, 
Mr.  Radbury  told  the  other  that  the  only  way  he 
could  settle  up  was  by  calling  again,  —  which  was 
the  usual  Texan  method  of  rounding  out  such 
hospitality. 

"  I've  a  good  mind  to  lock  up,"  remarked  Dan, 
as  he  reached  the  dooryard.  "  I  don't  like  this 
idea  of  Indians  spying  about." 

"  Oh,  come  on,"  interrupted  Ralph.  "  We  won't 
be  gone  long,  and  no  Indian  could  do  much  in  such 
a  short  time." 

The  elder  brother  shook  his  head  doubtfully. 
"I  don't  know,"  he  mused,  but  when  Ralph  took 
hold  of  his  arm,  he  suffered  himself  to  be  led 
away ;  and  soon  they  were  hurrying  for  the  river. 
There  was  quite  a  clearing  to  cross,  and  as  they 


THE   DISAPPEARANCE   OF   THE  DEER.       21 

gained  the  timber  Dan  paused  to  look  back  and 
to  gaze  around  them.  But  neither  man  nor  beast 
was  in  sight. 

On  hurried  the  two  boys,  through  a  tangle  of 
brush  and  tall  pines,  the  latter  of  the  long  straw 
variety  and  smelling  strongly  of  turpentine  where- 
ever  the  last  storm  had  broken  off  a  top  or  a  heavy 
branch.  Closer  to  the  stream  was  a  stately  row 
of  cottonwoods,  with  here  and  there  a  fragrant 
magnolia,  which  reminded  the  lads  of  the  former 
homestead  left  so  many  miles  behind.  It  was  the 
spring  of  the  year  and  the  magnolias  were  just 
putting  forth  their  buds,  and  Dan  paused  for  a 
second  to  gaze  at  them. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Ralph,  it  will  be  a  long 
while  before  Texas  is  as  civilised  as  Georgia,"  he 
observed. 

"Will  it  ever  be  as  civilised,  Dan?  I  heard 
father  say  last  week,  when  he  was  talking  to 
Brossom,  that  he  never  thought  it  would  be, —  so 
long  as  Texas  was  joined  to  Coahuila  and  belonged 
to  the  Mexican  Confederation.  He  said  Texas 
ought  to  be  free." 

"  He  is  right,  too, —  we  ought  either  to  be  free, 
or  else  belong  to  the  United  States.  It's  all  well 
enough  for  the  Mexicans  living  in  Coahuila  to  be- 
long to  the  Confederation  if  they  want  to,  but 
they  don't  care  for  us  Americans,  and  they  are 
going  to  grind  us  under  if  they  can." 


22  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  But  they  were  glad  enough  to  have  us  come 
in,  weren't  they  ?  —  I  mean  at  first." 

"  Yes,  when  Stephen  Austin  came  in  with  his 
first  batch  of  emigrants  they  welcomed  the  new- 
comers with  open  arms,  and  gave  each  man  a  large 
tract  of  land  for  himself,  one  for  his  wife,  and 
more  land  for  each  child  or  servant,  and  they  were 
mighty  glad  to  have  other  empresarios  bring  in 
emigrants,  too,  so  I've  read  in  the  papers.  But 
now  they  are  getting  afraid  that  the  Americans 
will  overrule  them,  and  there  is  bound  to  be  a  lot 
of  trouble  sooner  or  later." 

Ralph  was  anxious  to  show  his  brother  his  prize, 
and  as  they  neared  the  spot  where  the  big  deer 
had  been  brought  down  he  ran  on  ahead,  and  so 
the  talk  on  State  affairs  came  to  an  end.  But 
Dan  was  right,  there  was  much  trouble  ahead,  as 
we  shall  see  as  our  story  progresses. 

The  cottonwoods  passed,  the  boys  faced  another 
small  clearing,  where  a  forest  fire  years  before  had 
lain  many  a  towering  pine  low.  Beyond  this  burnt 
and  barren  spot  were  the  pecan-trees  overhanging 
the  river,  where  the  deer  had  come  to  slake  his  thirst 
when  Ralph  had  trailed  him  and  brought  him  low. 

"  Oh,  Dan  !     The  deer's  gone  !  " 

The  cry  came  straight  from  Ralph's  heart,  as 
with  staring  eyes  he  ran  in  under  the  pecan-trees 
and  gazed  at  the  spot  where  the  game  had  rested 
less  than  an  hour  before. 


THE  DISAPPEARANCE    OF   THE  DEER.       23 

"Gone?"  repeated  the  brother.  "Then  you 
didn't  kill  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  did, —  I  am  sure  of  it,  for  I  turned  him 
over  after  he  was  shot.  Could  some  wild  animal 
have  carried  him  off  ? " 

"  More  than  likely,  although  it  would  take  a 
pretty  fair  sized  animal  to  tote  a  deer,  especially 
if  he  was  as  big  as  you  say.  Let  us  see  if  we  can 
find  any  tracks." 

They  began  to  search  around  the  bank  of  the 
stream,  and  soon  discovered  a  number  of  foot- 
prints. 

"  Indian  moccasins  !  "  exclaimed  Dan.  "  Ralph, 
you  were  right  about  that  Indian.  He  was  watch- 
ing you,  and  after  you  left  the  deer  he  came  in  and 
took  possession." 

"  But  he  hadn't  any  right  to  do  that,"  burst  out 
the  smaller  boy,  angrily.  It  cut  him  to  the  heart 
to  have  his  first  big  game  taken  from  him.  "  It's 
downright  robbery." 

"  It  certainly  wasn't  fair,  but  about  its  being 
robbery,  that's  questionable.  You  shouldn't  have 
left  your  game  without  leaving  something  on  top 
of  it,  a  knife  or  anything,  just  to  show  that  you 
were  coming  back  for  it." 

"  But  this  is  father's  land." 

"  It  isn't  fenced  yet,  and  the  Indians  don't 
recognise  such  ownership,  anyway." 

"  But  they  must   have  known    I    was    coming 


24  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

back.  No  one  would  throw  away  such  choice 
venison  as  that  was."  Ralph  heaved  a  sigh.  "  I 
wish  I  was  a  man,  —  I'd  go  after  that  redskin  in 
short  order,  and  make  him  either  give  up  the  game 
or  bring  him  down  with  my  gun." 

"  If  you  shot  him  you'd  bring  on  a  regular  war, 
more  than  likely.  But  if  you  wish,  we  can  follow 
this  track  for  a  stretch,  and  look  for  father  at  the 
same  time." 

Ralph  was  more  than  willing  to  do  this  —  any- 
thing to  learn  what  had  really  become  of  his  game, 
and  so  they  continued  up  the  river  bank  for  the 
best  part  of  half  a  mile.  Here  they  came  to  a 
creek,  leading  directly  west,  and  saw  that  the  foot- 
prints followed  this  new  water-course.  Along  the 
creek  the  way  was  rocky  and  uneven,  and  it  was 
plain  to  see  where  the  deer  had  been  dragged 
along. 

Ralph  was  going  on,  with  his  eyes  bent  to  the 
trail,  when  suddenly  his  brother  caught  him  by 
the  arm,  bringing  him  to  a  halt.  In  silence  Dan 
pointed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  at  a  dis- 
tance a  hundred  feet  farther  up  the  water-course. 

"  It's  Hank  Stiger,  the  half-breed !  "  burst  in  a 
low  tone  from  Ralph's  lips.  "  And  see,  he  is  ty- 
ing my  deer  fast  to  his  pony." 

"  You  are  right,  Ralph." 

"  I'm  not  going  to  let  him  get  away  in  this 
fashion ! "    went   on    the   younger   lad,    excitedly. 


THE  DISAPPEARANCE    OF   THE   DEER.       2$ 

«  He's  got  to  give  up  that  meat,  or  I'm  going  to 
know  the  reason  why." 

"  Don't  be  rash.  Hank  Stiger  is  a  bad  man  to 
deal  with." 

"  Are  you  going  to  let  him  go  without  doing 
anything  ? "  demanded  Ralph.  "  I'm  sure  you 
wouldn't  if  it  was  your  deer ! "  he  added, 
bitterly. 

"  No,  we'll  talk  to  him  and  put  our  claim  as 
strongly  as  we  can.     But  be  careful,  that's  all." 

With  this  caution  Dan  ran  along  the  bank  of 
the  creek  until  he  reached  the  ford  where  the  half- 
breed  had  crossed.  He  went  over,  with  Ralph 
at  his  heels  and  both  boys  were  within  easy  speak- 
ing distance  of  Hank  Stiger  before  the  latter  dis- 
covered them. 

"  Hi  there,  Stiger !  what  are  you  doing  with  that 
deer  ? "  demanded  Dan,  as  he  came  closer,  with 
his  gun  in  both  hands  across  his  breast. 

At  the  sound  of  the  boy's  voice  the  half-breed 
turned  quickly  and  his  repulsive  reddish-brown 
face  fell  sullenly.  He  was  a  short,  stocky  fellow, 
with  a  tangled  head  of  hair  and  wolfish  eyes  which 
betrayed  the  Comanche  blood  that  flowed  in  his 
veins  from  his  mother's  side. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  demanded  the  man,  hardly 
knowing  what  to  say,  so  completely  had  he  been 
taken  by  surprise. 

"I  am  Dan  Radbury,  as  you  know  very  well. 


26  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

This  is  my  brother  Ralph,  and  he  shot  the  deer 
you  are  carrying  off." 

"  Not  much  !  "  ejaculated  the  half-breed.  "  I 
brung  that  deer  down  myself  —  shot  him  through 
the  neck." 

"  It's  not  so  !  "  burst  out  Ralph.  "  The  deer  is 
mine,  I  brought  him  down  over  in  the  pecan  grove 
on  the  river." 

"Why,  youngster,  you're  dead  wrong,  I  tell  you. 
I  shot  this  deer  right  down  thar  on  this  creek,  two 
hours  ago.  He  limped  off  after  I  hit  him,  but  I 
followed  the  trail  easily  and  found  him  in  the 
pecan  grove,  dead  from  whar  I  had  struck  him  in 
the  neck." 

This  cool  answer  almost  took  Ralph's  breath 
away  from  him.  "  It  was  I  struck  him  in  the 
neck,  Hank  Stiger,  and  the  deer  belongs  to  me, 
and  you  sha'n't  bluff  me  out  of  my  meat,  either." 

"Hush,  Ralph,  don't  be  so  headstrong,"  remon- 
strated Dan,  in  low  tones.  "You'll  gain  a  good 
bit  more  by  keeping  cool." 

At  Ralph's  words  the  half-breed  let  out  a  rough, 
unnatural  laugh. 

"  Boy,  you  must  be  daft,  to  tell  me  I  don't  know 
when  I  bring  down  a  deer.  The  deer  is  mine,  and 
if  you  shot  at  him  you  wasted  your  powder,  that's 
all." 

So  speaking,  Hank  Stiger  swung  himself  on  the 
back  of  his  mustang,  which  little  beast  looked  all 


'  you  sha'n't    leave  this    spot   until  you    give    up 
that  deer,  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it  !  '  " 


THE  DISAPPEARANCE   OF  THE   DEER.       2J 

out  of  proportion  to  the  deer  and  man  mounted  on 
him.  His  gun  was  slung  over  his  shoulder,  and 
there  he  allowed  it  to  remain  while  he  gathered  up 
the  reins  and  urged  his  pony  forward. 

Ralph  was  white.  As  told  before,  he  was  but  a 
boy  of  eight,  yet  his  life  on  the  frontier  had  given 
him  the  appearance  of  being  ten  or  more.  Rush- 
ing in  front  of  the  mustang,  he  raised  his  gun 
and  pointed  the  muzzle  at  Stiger's  head. 

"  Stop  where  you  are ! "  he  cried,  command- 
ingly.  "  You  sha'n't  leave  this  spot  until  you  give 
up  that  deer,  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it ! " 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    QUARREL   AND    ITS    RESULT. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Hank  Stiger  was 
badly  frightened  when  Ralph  confronted  him  with 
the  loaded  gun.  He  was  naturally  not  an  overly 
brave  fellow,  and  while  the  boy  before  him  was 
young,  yet  he  realised  that  Ralph  could  shoot  as 
well  as  many  a  man.  Besides  this,  Dan  was  there, 
and  he  was  also  armed,  and  now  had  his  finger  on 
the  trigger  of  the  ancient  cavalry  musket. 

"  Don't  shoot !  "  The  words  came  from  Dan. 
He  could  not  help  but  admire  his  brother's  pluck, 
yet  he  was  sorry  that  the  affair  had  taken  such 
an  acute  turn.  His  caution  was  unnecessary,  for 
Ralph  had  no  intention  of  firing,  excepting  Stiger 
should  attempt  to  rush  by  him  or  use  the  gun 
slung  on  his  shoulder. 

The  mustang  took  several  steps,  and  then  the 
half-breed  brought  him  to  an  abrupt  halt.  "  You're 
carrying  matters  with  a  putty  high  hand,  to  my 
notion,"  he  remarked,  sarcastically. 

An  awkward  pause  followed,  Ralph  knowing  not 
what  to  say,  and  glancing  at  Dan,  half  afraid  that 

28 


A    QUARREL   AND   ITS  RESULT.  29 

his  brother  would  be  tremendously  angry  with 
him  over  the  hasty  threat  he  had  made.  Yet  he 
felt  that  he  was  in  the  right,  and  he  kept  his  gun- 
barrel  on  a  line  with  the  half-breed's  head. 

"  Stiger,  you  might  as  well  give  up  the  deer," 
said  Dan,  as  quietly  as  he  could.  "It's  Ralph's 
first  big  game,  and  of  course  he  feels  mighty 
proud  of  it.  A  good  shot  like  you  ought  to  be 
able  to  bring  down  lots  of  game  of  your  own." 

Dan  imagined  that  this  tempered  speech  and 
side  praise  would  put  the  half-breed  in  good 
humour,  but  he  was  mistaken.  Stiger  glanced 
from  one  lad  to  the  other,  his  face  growing  more 
sullen  each  instant. 

"  This  deer  is  mine,  and  you  can't  force  me  to 
give  it  up,"  he  muttered.  "  Put  down  that  gun,  or 
we'll  have  trouble." 

"You  put  down  the  deer,  first,"  said  Ralph, 
sturdily. 

"  It's  my  deer,  not  yours,  and  I  won't  put  it 
down.  I'm  not  afraid  of  two  youngsters  like 
you." 

Again  Ralph's  temper  got  the  better  of  him. 
"You  shall  put  it  down,  Hank  Stiger.  You  are 
nothing  but  a  horse-thief,  and  I  —  " 

"  Ha  !  call  me  a  hoss-thief  !  "  ejaculated  the  half- 
breed,  in  a  rage.  "  I  won't  stand  that,  boy.  You 
shall  suffer  for  it." 

"You   are  a  horse-thief,  and   stole  one  of  my 


30  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

father's  animals  last  year.  Now  you  want  to  steal 
my  deer,  but  you  shall  not  do  it.  Dan,  he's  got  to 
give  it  up,  hasn't  he  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  has  got  to  give  it  up,"  answered  the 
older  brother,  seeing  that  matters  had  gone  too 
far  for  either  of  them  to  back  down.  Dan  was 
slow  to  make  up  his  mind,  but,  once  it  was  made 
up,  he  was  uncompromising  to  the  last  degree. 

"  Supposing  I  refuse  to  give  up  the  deer  ? " 
came  from  the  half-breed.  He  spoke  in  a  brusque 
manner,  but  there  was  a  shade  of  anxiety  in  his 
tone. 

"  You  had  better  not  refuse." 

"  You  wouldn't  dare  to  shoot  at  me." 

"Don't  you  be  too  sure  of  that,"  put  in  Ralph. 
"  You  must  remember  that  father  could  have  had 
you  shot  down  for  a  horse-thief,  had  he  wanted  to 
do  so.  I  don't  want  any  trouble  with  you,  but  I 
am  bound  to  have  my  game." 

"All  right,  then,  you  keep  the  game!"  ejacu- 
lated Hank  Stiger,  in  deep  rage,  and,  turning  on 
his  mustang,  he  picked  up  the  deer  and  flung  it  to 
the  earth.  "  But  remember,  I  say  I  shot  that 
deer  and  that  he  is  mine.  Some  day  you'll  rue 
your  work  here,  mark  my  words  !  "  And  with  an 
angry  shake  of  his  dirty  fist  at  them  he  kicked  his 
mustang  in  the  sides  and  was  soon  lost  to  view  in 
the  forest  to  the  north  of  the  creek. 

The  two  boys  watched  bim  carefully,  and  they 


A    QUARREL    AND  ITS  RESULT.  3 1 

did  not  lower  their  guns  until  they  were  certain 
that  he  had  gone  too  far  to  turn  and  fire  at  them. 
Then  Ralph  knelt  over  the  deer  and  examined  the 
torn  open  neck. 

"There,  I  was  sure  of  it ! "  he  cried,  trium- 
phantly. "  There  is  my  bullet,  and  that's  the  only 
shot  he  received." 

"  Let  me  see."  Dan  took  the  bullet.  "  You 
are  right,  Ralph.  But,  even  so,  we  have  made  an 
enemy  of  Stiger  for  life.  He  will  never  forgive 
you  for  calling  him  a  horse-thief." 

"  I  don't  care,  —  I  got  the  deer.  Do  you  be- 
lieve he'll  come  back  to  make  more  trouble  ? " 

"There  is  no  telling.  I  think  we  had  better 
be  getting  back  to  the  house,  —  father  doesn't  seem 
to  be  anywhere  about.  There  is  a  tree  branch. 
You  can  tie  the  game  to  that,  and  we  can  both  pull 
it  down  the  creek  to  the  river  and  then  over  to  the 
burn.  It  won't  be  worth  while  bringing  a  pony 
out  to  do  it." 

Both  set  to  work,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  deer 
was  fastened  to  the  branch  and  slid  into  the  creek. 
The  bottom  was  sandy,  and  the  water  made  the 
load  slip  along  readily.  The  lads  had  just  crossed 
the  burn  with  their  drag  when  a  gunshot  rang  out, 
coming  from  the  direction  of  the  ranch  home. 

"  Listen  !  "  ejaculated  Dan.  "A  shot  from  the 
house  !     What  can  that  mean  ?  " 

He  dropped  his  hold  on  the  branch  and  leaped 


32  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

forward,  unslinging  the  escopeta  as  he  did  so.  For 
a  moment  Ralph  hesitated,  not  wishing  to  leave  his 
game  again,  but  then,  as  his  brother  disappeared  into 
the  belt  of  timber  hiding  the  cabin  from  their  view, 
he  also  dropped  his  hold,  feeling  that,  even  though 
a  boy,  his  presence  might  be  needed  elsewhere. 

When  Dan  reached  the  clearing  about  the  ranch 
home  he  found  his  father  in  the  doorway,  rifle  in 
hand,  gazing  anxiously  in  one  direction  and  another. 
Mr.  Radbury  was  tall  and  thin,  and  constant  expo- 
sure to  the  sun  had  browned  him  considerably.  A 
glance  sufficed  to  show  what  he  really  was,  a 
Southern  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  despite  the 
rough  life  he  was  at  present  leading. 

"  Dan  !  "  cried  the  parent,  gladly.  "  I  am  happy 
to  see  you  are  safe.     Where  is  Ralph  ? " 

"  He  is  just  behind  me,  father.  But  what's  the 
trouble  ?  Has  anything  happened  here  while  we 
have  been  away  ?  " 

"  I  hardly  think  so,  but  the  Indians  are  around, — 
I  saw  two  of  them  directly  across  the  river,  and 
half  a  dozen  at  the  big  tree  ford,  all  Comanches, 
and  several  of  them  in  their  war-paint.  I  was 
afraid  you  had  had  trouble  with  them." 

"  No,  we've  had  trouble  with  somebody  else," 
answered  Dan,  but  before  he  could  go  any  further 
Ralph  appeared.  The  tale  about  the  deer  and  Hank 
Stiger  was  soon  told,  Mr.  Radbury  listening  with 
close  attention. 


A    QUARREL   AND   ITS  RESULT.  33 

"And  do  you  think  I  did  wrong,  father  ? "  ques- 
tioned the  youngest  Radbury,  as  he  concluded  his 
narrative. 

"  No,  I  can't  say  that,  Ralph,"  was  the  grave 
answer.  "  But  I  am  afraid  it  will  make  us  more 
trouble  all  around.  Stiger  and  Bison  Head  are 
intimate  friends,  and  if  the  Indians  are  going  on 
the  war-path  again,  the  half-breed  may  direct  an 
attack  upon  us.  It  was  a  great  mistake  to  speak 
about  that  stolen  horse.  We  can't  prove  that 
Stiger  took  it,  although  I  am  morally  sure  he 
was  the  guilty  party." 

After  a  short  talk,  it  was  decided  that  Mr. 
Radbury  should  go  into  the  timber  for  the  deer 
alone,  leaving  Ralph  and  Dan  to  watch  around  the 
cabin  and  the  cattle  shelter.  At  the  shelter  were 
several  cows,  used  for  milking,  and  a  number  of 
pigs.  The  other  stock  was  off  on  the  range 
between  the  ranch  and  Gonzales,  grazing. 

"  I'd  like  to  know  if  the  cattle  are  safe,"  re- 
marked Dan,  after  his  father  had  left.  "  If  those 
Indians  should  take  it  into  their  heads  to  round 
them  up  and  drive  them  off  it  would  be  a  big 
loss." 

"  Perhaps  Hank  Stiger  will  put  them  up  to  it," 
returned  his  brother.  "  I  suppose  he  is  mad 
enough  to  do  most  anything." 

Leaving  Ralph  to  see  to  the  defences  of  the 
ranch    home,    Dan   hurried    down    to    the    cattle 


34  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

shelter.  This  was  in  plain  view  of  the  cabin  and 
could  readily  be  covered  from  two  firing-holes  left 
in  the  shutter  which  covered  one  of  the  windows 
of  the  sleeping  apartment. 

Everything  was  as  the  youth  had  left  it  that 
morning,  and  there  were  no  indications  that  any 
marauders  had  been  around  during  the  absence  of 
Ralph  and  himself.  The  gate  to  the  cattle  en- 
closure was  open,  and  some  of  the  cows  were  out- 
side. These  he  drove  in  and  then  barred  up  the 
gate. 

Back  of  the  cattle  shed,  at  a  distance  of  several 
hundred  feet,  was  a  slight  hollow,  where  there  was 
a  pool  of  water  surrounded  by  mesquite-trees  and 
bushes.  This  pool  could  be  seen  only  from  the 
back  of  the  shed,  and  as  Dan  walked  in  that 
direction,  something  caught  his  eye  which  instantly 
arrested  his  attention. 

It  was  a  plume  of  feathers  waving  above  the 
bushes  close  to  the  pool.  There  was  a  similar 
plume  a  short  distance  away. 

"Turkey  feathers,"  he  muttered  to  himself. 
"  But  there  are  no  wild  turkeys  down  there,  and 
I  know  it.  Father  was  right,  the  Comanches  are 
watching  our  home  and  surrounding  it." 

As  soon  as  he  had  made  his  discovery,  Dan  felt 
inclined  to  run  back  to  the  cabin  with  all  speed. 
But  this  would  let  the  Indians  know  that  they  were 
discovered  and  probably  make  them  hasten  their 


A    QUARREL  AND    ITS  RESULT.  35 

plans.  So  instead  of  running  he  took  his  time, 
walked  completely  around  the  shed,  stopped  to  pat 
a  favourite  cow  on  the  nose,  and  then  sauntered 
slowly  to  the  cabin. 

Once  inside,  however,  his  manner  changed. 
"Ralph,  father  was  right,  the  Comanches  are 
on  the  war-path!"  he  exclaimed.  "Bar  up  the 
windows,  and  I'll  look  to  it  that  every  gun  and 
pistol  in  the  house  is  ready  for  use." 

"Then  you  saw  more  of  them?" 

"  Yes,  two  down  by  the  hollow." 

"  Do  they  know  that  you  saw  them  ? " 

"  I  hardly  think  so."  Dan  began  to  look  over 
the  stock  of  pistols,  several  in  number,  including  a 
"  hoss  "  nearly  two  feet  long.  "  I  wish  father  was 
back,"  he  added,  anxiously. 

"  Shall  I  fire  a  signal  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,  for  it  may  only  make  the  Comanches 
hurry  up.  But  you  can  watch  for  father  from  the 
doorway,  and  if  you  see  him,  beckon  him  to  run 
for  it,"  concluded  the  elder  brother. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SOMETHING    ABOUT    THE    INDIANS    IN    TEXAS. 

While  the  two  boys  are  waiting  for  their 
father's  return,  and  wondering  what  will  be  the 
next  movement  of  the  Comanches  surrounding 
the  ranch  home,  let  us  turn  aside  for  a  moment 
to  consider  the  state  of  affairs  in  Texas  in  this 
momentous  year  of  1835. 

As  said  before,  Texas  and  the  territory  known 
as  Coahuila,  lying  on  the  southern  bank  of  the 
Rio  Grande  River,  formed  one  of  the  states  of 
the  Mexican  Confederation.  At  the  time  Texas 
became  bound  to  Coahuila  there  was  a  clause  in 
the  constitution  which  allowed  her  to  become  a 
separate  state  whenever  she  acquired  the  requisite 
size,  although  what  the  requisite  size  must  be  was 
not  specified. 

The  Texans  were  satisfied,  at  that  time,  to  be- 
long to  the  Mexican  Confederation,  but  they  soon 
discovered  that  to  be  tied  fast  to  Coahuila  was 
going  to  become  very  burdensome.  The  latter- 
named  territory  was  inhabited  almost  entirely  by 
Mexicans  who  had  nothing  in  common  with  the 
Americans,  and  these   Mexicans  kept  the  capital 

36 


THE   INDIANS  IN   TEXAS.  37 

city  of  the  state  at  Monclova  or  Saltillo,  so  that 
the  settlers  in  Texas  had  to  journey  five  hundred 
miles  or  more  by  wagon  roads  for  every  legal  pur- 
pose. Besides  this,  the  judiciary  was  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  the  inhabitants  of  Coahuila,  and  they 
passed  laws  very  largely  to  suit  themselves. 

The  first  troubles  came  over  the  land  grants. 
A  number  of  men,  headed  by  Stephen  Austin,  had 
come  into  Texas,  bringing  with  them  hundreds  of 
settlers  to  occupy  grants  given  to  these  leaders, 
who  were  known  as  empresarios,  or  contractors. 
Each  settler's  grant  had  to  be  recorded,  and  the 
settlers  grumbled  at  journeying  so  far  to  get  clear 
deeds  to  their  possessions.  At  the  same  time, 
Mexico  herself  was  in  a  state  of  revolution,  and 
often  one  so-called  government  would  not  recog- 
nise the  grant  made  by  the  government  just  over- 
thrown. 

The  next  trouble  was  with  the  Indians.  The 
Comanches,  Apaches,  Shawnees,  Wacos,  Lipans, 
and  separated  tribes  of  Cherokees,  Delawares,  and 
Choctaws,  some  driven  from  the  United  States 
by  the  pioneers  there,  overran  the  northern  and 
central  portions  of  Texas,  and  those  on  the  fron- 
tier, like  Mr.  Amos  Radbury,  were  never  safe 
from  molestation.  The  Mexican  government  had 
promised  the  settlers  protection,  but  the  protec- 
tion amounted  to  but  little,  and  at  one  time  only 
ninety  soldiers  were  out  to  guard  a  frontier  ex- 


38  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

tending  hundreds  of  miles,  and  where  the  different 
tribes  of  the  enemy  numbered  ten  to  twenty  thou- 
sand. The  only  thing  which  saved  the  settlers 
from  total  annihilation  at  this  time  was  the  friend- 
liness of  some  of  the  Indians  and  the  fact  that 
the  red  men  carried  on  a  continual  warfare  among 
themselves. 

Some  of  the  Indian  fights  had  been  notable. 
One  of  the  worst  of  them  was  an  encounter 
between  a  band  of  over  a  hundred  and  about  a 
dozen  whites  under  the  leadership  of  James 
Bowie,  better  known  as  Jim  Bowie,  of  bowie- 
knife  fame,  —  this  knife  having  become  famous 
in  border  warfare.  In  this  struggle  the  whites 
were  surrounded,  and  kept  the  Indians  at  bay 
for  eight  days,  killing  twenty  odd  of  the  enemy, 
including  a  notable  chief.  The  loss  to  the  whites 
was  one  killed  and  two  wounded. 

This  fight  had  occurred  some  years  before  the 
opening  of  this  tale,  but,  only  a  month  previous  to 
the  events  now  being  related,  another  encounter 
had  come  off,  on  Sandy  Creek,  but  a  few  miles 
from  the  Radbury  home.  A  party  of  French  and 
Mexican  traders,  thirteen  in  number,  had  gone  up 
to  the  house  of  one  John  Castleman,  and  during 
the  night  the  Indians  came  up,  murdered  nearly 
all  of  the  number,  and  made  off  with  the  traders' 
packs.  Castleman  hastened  to  Gonzales  with  the 
news,   and   a  posse  was  organised  to   follow  the 


THE   INDIANS  IN  TEXAS.  39 

red  men.  This  resulted  in  another  battle,  in 
the  cedar  brakes  along  the  San  Marcos,  and  some 
of  the  Indians  were  killed.  But  the  majority  got 
away,  taking  most  of  the  stolen  goods  with 
them. 

The  mentioning  of  these  two  encounters  will 
show  with  what  the  early  settlers  of  Texas  had  to 
contend  while  trying  to  raise  their  crops  and 
attend  to  their  cattle.  Often  a  bold  settler  would 
go  forth  into  the  wilderness,  erect  his  rude  hut, 
and  then  never  be  heard  from  again,  his  habitation 
being  found,  later  on,  either  deserted  or  burnt  to 
the  ground.  And  men  were  not  the  only  suf- 
ferers, for  women  and  children  were  often  either 
killed  or  carried  off  into  captivity.  Once  two 
well-known  ladies  were  spirited  away  in  the  most 
mysterious  fashion,  and  they  were  not  returned  to 
their  homes  until  both  had  spent  several  years 
among  the  red  people. 

Dan  and  Ralph  thought  over  many  of  these 
affairs  as  they  set  about  preparing  the  ranch  home 
against  any  attack  which  might  be  made  upon  it. 
Ralph  especially  was  much  agitated,  for,  some  six 
months  before,  several  Indians  had  stopped  at  the 
ranch  for  the  purpose  of  trading  ponies,  and  one 
of  them  had  eyed  the  soft -haired  boy's  scalp  in  a 
manner  which  had  given  the  youth  a  shiver  from 
head  to  foot. 

"  They  sha'n't  have  my  scalp,"  he  murmured  to 


40  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

himself.  "  I'll  die  first !  "  And,  young  as  he  was, 
it  may  be  believed  that  he  meant  what  he  said. 

"  Do  you  see  anything  of  father  ? "  called  out 
Dan,  as  he  finished  inspecting  the  last  of  the 
pistols. 

"No." 

"  He  ought  to  be  coming  up  by  this  time." 

"  I  really  think  we  ought  to  fire  a  shot  for  a 
signal." 

"We'll  wait  a  few  minutes  longer." 

They  waited  —  every  minute  seeming  like  ten. 
It  was  a  clear,  sunshiny  day,  and  outside  only  a 
faint  breeze  stirred  the  trees,  otherwise  all  was 
silent.  At  the  end  of  five  minutes  Dan  stepped 
to  the  doorway. 

"  Father !  "  he  called,  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

No  answer  came  back,  and  then  Ralph  joined  in 
the  cry,  which  was  repeated  several  times. 

"  He  ought  to  hear  that,"  said  Ralph,  as  the 
silence  continued.  Then  his  face  grew  pale. 
"Perhaps    they    have    killed    him,   Dan!" 

"  I  heard  no  shot ;  did  you  ?  " 

"  No,  but  some  of  the  Indians  may  have  bows 
with  them.  I  heard  one  of  those  Indians  who 
was  here  last  say  he  didn't  like  the  white  man's 
fire-bow  because  it  made  so  much  noise  it  scared 
all  the  game.  If  they've  got  bows  and  arrows 
they  could  easily  crawl  up  behind  father,  and  —  " 
Ralph  did  not   finish    in  words,  but  his  brother 


THE   INDIANS  IN   TEXAS.  4 1 

understood  what  he  meant  only  too  well.  Reach- 
ing for  one  of  the  pistols,  Dan  ran  outside  of  the 
door,  and  fired  it  off. 

Mr.  Radbury  had  gone  for  the  deer  with  his 
gun  slung  over  his  back,  so  he  could  easily  fire  a 
return  signal  if  he  wished.  Eagerly  the  brothers 
listened,  but  the  exasperating  silence  continued. 

Then,  as  Dan  reloaded,  Ralph  fired  a  second 
shot. 

"  Something  is  wrong,"  said  the  older  brother, 
after  several  more  minutes  had  gone  by.  "If 
father  was  coming  with  the  deer  he  would  be  in 
sight  sure.  Either  the  Indians  have  surrounded 
him  or  killed  him,  or  else  they  have  got  between 
him  and  the  house  so  that  he  can't  get  in.  I'm 
going  up  to  the  loft  with  the  spy-glass  and  take  a 
squint  around." 

Glass  in  hand,  Dan  ran  up  the  rude  ladder  to 
the  loft,  which  was  some  six  feet  high  at  the 
ridge-pole  and  two  feet  high  at  the  edge  of  the 
sloping  sides.  There  were  windows  on  all  four 
sides,  but  those  at  the  slopes  were  small  and  only 
intended  for  observation  holes. 

Ralph  had  closed  all  of  the  shutters,  so  the  loft 
was  almost  dark.  With  caution  Dan  opened  one 
shutter  after  another  and  swept  the  woods  and 
country  around  with  the  glass. 

He  could  not  see  the  hollow,  but  at  the  crest  of 
the  hill  by  the  cattle  shed  he  made  out  the  heads 


42  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

of  several  Indians  gathered  back  of  some  bushes 
and  talking  earnestly.  Presently  the  Indians  sepa- 
rated, and  two  of  the  number  walked  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  river,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
ranch  home. 

"  They  are  up  to  something,"  reasoned  the  boy, 
and  took  up  a  position  on  the  other  side  of  the 
loft.  From  this  point  he  could  see  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  river  as  it  wound  in  and  out  among  the 
trees  and  brush.  He  waited  impatiently  for  the 
Indians  to  reappear,  and  at  last  saw  them  cross  a 
glade  close  to  where  he  and  his  brother  had  met 
the  half-breed.  As  the  Indians  came  out  into  the 
open,  Hank  Stiger  met  them. 

"  He  will  join  them  now  if  he  wasn't  with  them 
before,"  thought  Dan,  and  in  this  he  was  right. 
The  Indians  and  Stiger  held  a  short  talk,  and  then 
all  three  disappeared  in  the  belt  of  timber  sur- 
rounding the  burn. 

"  Can  you  see  anything  ? "  called  up  Ralph. 

"  Yes,  several  Indians,  and  Stiger  has  joined 
them." 

"  Stiger !     And  what  of  father  ? " 

"  I  see  nothing  of  him.  Ralph,  I  am  afraid  we 
are  in  for  it  this  time,  and  no  mistake." 

"  You  think  the  Indians  really  intend  to  attack 
us  ? " 

"I  do." 

"  Right  away  ? " 


THE  INDIANS  IN   TEXAS.  43 

"  No,  they  will  probably  wait  until  it  grows 
dark,  especially  now,  after  they  have  seen  us  bar- 
ring the  windows." 

"Then  I  had  better  be  ready  to  bar  up  the 
door,  too." 

"  Yes,  but  keep  a  lookout  for  father.  He  may 
come  in  on  the  run,  you  know." 

Dan  continued  to  use  the  glass,  stepping  from 
one  window  to  another.  But  the  Indians  had  dis- 
appeared from  view,  and  not  another  glimpse  of  a 
feather  or  a  painted  face  was  to  be  seen. 

Presently  he  found  himself  looking  toward  the 
burn.  Back,  in  the  timber  bordering  the  river, 
was  a  tall  tree  which  reared  its  head  a  score  of 
feet  above  its  fellow  trees.  As  he  turned  his 
glass  in  that  direction,  something  unusual  in  the 
top  of  the  tree  attracted  his  attention. 

He  gazed  long  and  earnestly  at  the  object,  and 
at  last  made  out  the  form  of  a  man,  who  was 
waving  some  dark  thing,  probably  his  coat,  to 
and  fro. 

"  It  must  be  father !  "  he  thought.  "  I'll  signal 
in  return  and  make  sure,"  and  catching  up  a  bed 
sheet  he  stuck  it  out  of  the  window  for  a  minute 
and  swung  it  vigorously.  As  he  did  this,  the  party 
in  the  tree  flung  up  the  coat  and  caught  it,  then 
disappeared  from  view.  At  once  Dan  drew  in  the 
sheet,  closed  all  the  shutters  of  the  loft,  and  went 
below. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  RANCH. 

"Well,  I've  just  seen  father  and  signalled  to 
him." 

"  Where  was  he,  Dan  ?  " 

"  In  the  top  of  the  king  pine  by  the  river.  He 
was  waving  his  coat  to  attract  my  attention.  I 
waved  a  bed  sheet  at  him  and  then  he  threw  his 
coat  up  in  the  air  and  caught  it,  and  got  out  of 
sight  as  soon  as  he  could." 

"Then  he  was  going  off." 

"Yes,"  answered  Dan.  For  among  these  pio- 
neers to  throw  an  object  from  one  and  then  catch 
it  meant  to  go  away  and  return.  "  Probably  he  is 
going  away  for  assistance." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  he  would  leave  us  alone," 
mused  Ralph,  his  face  falling  perceptibly. 

"  That  makes  me  feel  certain  that  the  Indians 
don't  intend  to  attack  us  until  dark.  Perhaps 
father  heard  some  of  their  powwowing,  or  some 
talk  between  them  and  Stiger.  Anyway,  I  am 
sure  he  is  going  away." 

"  Then  we  may  as  well  close  up  tight." 

44 


THE   ATTACK  ON  THE  RANCH.  45 

"  All  but  the  door.  But  bring  in  all  the  buckets 
full  of  water  first.  We  may  be  in  for  a  regular 
siege  of  it." 

Dan's  suggestion  was  carried  out,  and  the  older 
boy  also  made  a  raid  on  the  cattle  yard  and 
brought  in  one  of  the  cows,  tying  her  close  to  the 
door.  "  Now  we'll  have  milk  and  meat  too,  if  the 
worst  comes  to  the  worst,"  he  observed.  No 
matter  what  else  happened  he  did  not  intend  to 
be  starved  out. 

Their  regular  chores  done,  the  two  boys  locked 
up  below,  but  left  the  door  unbarred,  and  then 
went  to  the  loft,  taking  with  them  their  guns  and 
the  spy-glass. 

"  I  suppose  we  can  count  this  something  of  a 
fort,"  remarked  Ralph.  "  But  I  don't  care  to  play 
soldier  —  I'd  rather  have  the  Indians  leave  us 
alone." 

"  So  would  I.  But  I  guess  I  can  play  soldier 
if  I  have  to,"  added  Dan,  with  quiet  emphasis. 
Secretly  he  loved  soldiering  much  better  than  life 
on  the  ranch,  but  in  those  days  he  never  dreamed 
of  the  adventures  on  the  battle-field  which  were 
still  in  store  for  him. 

The  afternoon  wore  away  slowly  until  the  sun 
began  to  set  behind  the  timber  west  of  the  ranch. 
In  the  meantime,  the  boys,  having  had  no  dinner, 
grew  hungry,  and  Ralph  spent  some  time  below  in 
boiling  a  pot  of  coffee  and   stirring  and  baking 


46  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

some  ash-cakes,  serving  both  with  a  bit  of  broiled 
steak. 

"  It's  too  bad  we  can't  have  some  venison,"  he 
sighed  to  his  brother.  "  But  I  reckon  my  first 
big  game  is  going  to  get  us  into  a  whole  lot  of 
trouble." 

"  I  reckon  the  Indians  were  getting  ready  to 
come  down  on  us,  anyhow,"  answered  Dan.  "It 
seems  they  can  stay  quiet  just  so  long,  and 
then  their  animal  nature  breaks  loose  for  a 
shindy." 

Dan  had  just  returned  to  the  loft  after  his 
repast,  when  he  uttered  a  shout. 

"  An  Indian  is  coming  toward  the  cabin,  Ralph  !  " 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  No,  but  he  is  a  Comanche." 

"  In  war-paint  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  if  it's  war-paint  or  not,  but  he  is 
daubed  full  of  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow." 

"  It  must  be  war-paint.     Is  he  alone  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  riding  a  white  pony.  His  gun  is  on 
his  back,  and  he  doesn't  look  as  if  he  was  up  to 
mischief." 

"  Oh,  I  wouldn't  trust  him ! "  cried  the 
younger  lad.  "  He  may  be  up  to  some  of  their 
treachery." 

"  But  I  can't  stop  him  from  coming  to  the  cabin. 
I'll  be  on  my  guard,  and  you  must  be,  too,"  con- 
cluded Dan,  and  went  below.     With  quickness  he 


THE   ATTACK  ON   THE   RANCH.  47 

hid  away  all  the  weapons  but  two  pistols,  one  of 
which  he  stuck  in  his  shirt  bosom  and  gave  the 
other  to  Ralph. 

"  We  must  keep  apart,"  said  Ralph.  "  Then  if 
he  attacks  one  or  the  other  the  free  one  can  fire 
on  him." 

"That's  good  generalship,"  returned  Dan,  with 
a  grim  smile. 

By  this  time  the  Indian  rider  was  close  to  the 
dooryard,  and  Dan  walked  outside  to  meet  him. 
As  soon  as  the  youth  appeared,  the  savage  halted 
his  steed. 

"  How !  How !  "  he  said,  in  guttural  tones, 
meaning  "  How  do  you  do  ? " 

"  How  are  you  ? "  returned  Dan. 

"Wolf  Ear  is  sick  —  got  pain  here,"  and  the 
red  man  pointed  to  his  stomach. 

"  Sick,  eh  ?  What  have  you  been  doing,  —  eat- 
ing and  drinking  too  much  ? " 

"  No,  Wolf  Ear  big  sick  two  moons  past,  — 
sick  come  back,  —  can't  ride  and  must  lay  down," 
groaned  the  savage,  grating  his  teeth  as  if  in 
intense  pain.  "  White  boy  help  Wolf  Ear,  me  lof 
him." 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  Dan  would  have 
been  touched  by  this  appeal,  for  he  knew  that  the 
Indians  suffered  just  as  many  aches  and  pains  as 
did  the  white  folks. 

"I  am  no   good   at    doctoring  sick   men,"  he 


48  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF    TEXAS. 

answered.  "Wolf  Ear  had  better  go  back  to  his 
own  medicine  man." 

At  this  the  Indian  stared  at  the  boy  stolidly  for 
fully  half  a  minute.  He  understood  that  he  was 
not  wanted,  and  that  he  would  not  be  allowed  into 
the  cabin. 

"  White  boy  have  no  medicine  for  Wolf  Ear  ?  " 
he  said,  slowly. 

"  I  don't  know  what  would  be  good  for  you." 

"  Where  white  boy's  fadder  ?  " 

"  He  has  gone  away."  A  sudden  idea  came  to 
Dan's  mind.  "  I  think  he  has  gone  to  Gonzales 
to  bring  along  some  of  the  lumbermen  to  look 
over  the  plans  for  a  sawmill.  There  are  about  a 
dozen  men  thinking  of  setting  up  a  sawmill  around 
here." 

The  Indian  pursed  up  his  mouth,  trying  to  con- 
ceal his  chagrin.      "  He  come  back  soon  ?  " 

"  I  expect  him  every  minute.  But  you  had  bet- 
ter not  wait  for  him.  Perhaps  you'll  feel  better  if 
you  wash  off  that  war-paint  on  your  face." 

At  this  Wolf  Ear  scowled  viciously.  "White 
boy  big  fool !  "  he  cried,  and  reached  around  for 
his  gun.  But  before  he  could  raise  the  weapon 
both  Dan  and  Ralph  had  him  covered  with  the 
pistols.  Not  having  seen  the  weapons  while 
speaking,  the  Indian  was  taken  aback. 

"  Put  that  gun  down,"  said  Dan,  sternly.  "  I 
am  not  such  a  fool  as  you  think." 


THE  ATTACK  ON  THE   RANCH  49 

"Wolf  Ear  only  make  fun,"  grinned  the  savage, 
feebly.      "  No  mean  to  shoot." 

"  I  don't  like  your  fun,  and  I  want  you  to  leave 
this  place." 

At  once  the  red  man  straightened  up  like  an 
arrow  on  his  pony.  "Wolf  Ear  will  go,"  he  said, 
loftily.  "  But  Wolf  Ear  shall  not  forget  you  !  " 
And  he  turned  his  steed  to  ride  away.  Evidently 
he  had  forgotten  all  about  his  alleged  pain. 

"  Dan,  make  him  give  up  his  gun,"  cried  Ralph, 
in  a  low  voice.  "  If  you  don't  he'll  try  to  shoot  us 
as  soon  as  he  reaches  cover." 

"Halt!"  exclaimed  the  older  brother.  "Wolf 
Ear,  you  must  leave  your  gun  with  us.  You  can 
come  back  for  it  when  my  father  is  here." 

At  first  the  Indian  pretended  not  to  hear,  then 
he  turned  back  to  look  at  them,  but  without 
stopping  his  pony. 

"  My  firearm  is  mine,"  he  said.  "  The  white 
boy  shall  not  rob  the  poor  Indian,"  and  digging 
his  heels  into  his  pony's  sides  he  set  off  at  a 
breakneck  pace  for  the  nearest  patch  of  timber. 
Ralph  was  about  to  fire  on  him,  but  Dan  stopped 
the  proceedings. 

"  No,  let  him  go,"  he  said.  "  Whatever  happens, 
don't  give  them  the  chance  to  say  that  we  opened 
the  fight.  If  we  start  the  affair  we'll  get  into  all 
sorts  of  trouble  with  the  agency." 

Before  they  could  argue  the  matter  Wolf  Ear 


50  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

had  gained  the  timber.  Both  of  the  boys  were 
now  in  the  doorway  of  the  cabin.  Bang  !  went 
the  redskin's  gun,  and  the  bullet  embedded  itself 
in  the  door-post  close  to  their  heads.  Like  light- 
ning the  boys  leaped  into  the  living-room  and  barred 
the  oaken  barrier  behind  them. 

"  He  has  opened  the  attack !  "  gasped  Ralph, 
the  shot,  coming  so  close,  temporarily  unnerving 
him.     "  I  told  you  he'd  do  it." 

Dan  did  not  answer,  but,  running  to  the  closet, 
brought  out  the  best  of  the  guns  belonging  to  his 
father.  Leaping  up  to  the  loft,  he  opened  the 
firing-hole  fronting  the  direction  Wolf  Ear  had 
taken,  and  squinted  through.  But  the  Indian 
horseman  was  long  since  out  of  sight. 

"Can  you  catch  him?"  asked  Ralph,  from  the 
foot  of  the  ladder. 

"  No,  he's  gone." 

"Do  you  think  he'll  bring  the  others  down  on 
us  now  ?  " 

"  No.  They  know  we  are  armed,  and  they 
couldn't  rush  across  the  clearing  and  break  in 
without  one  or  more  of  them  being  shot,  and  they 
are  too  afraid  of  their  hides  to  undertake  the  job. 
But  they'll  close  in  as  soon  as  it's  dark,  beyond  a 
doubt." 

"  I  hope  father  comes  back  by  that  time." 

"  So  do  I.  Do  you  suppose  they  are  driving  off 
the  cattle  on  the  range  ?  " 


THE   ATTACK  ON  THE  RANCH.  5  I 

"There  is  no  telling.  For  all  we  know  they 
may  be  up  back  of  the  cattle  shed,  too." 

It  was  now  so  dark  that  but  little  could  be  seen 
beyond  the  clearing  immediately  surrounding  the 
cabin.  Each  of  the  boys  stationed  himself  in  the 
loft,  Dan  watching  to  the  north  and  the  east,  and 
Ralph  to  the  south  and  west. 

With  the  coming  of  night  the  silence  seemed 
more  oppressive  than  ever,  and  only  the  occasional 
mooing  of  the  cow  tied  near  the  door  broke  the 
stillness  around  the  cabin.  From  the  woods  came 
now  and  then  the  cry  of  a  night  bird,  but  that  was 
all.     The  breeze  had  died  out  utterly. 

But  presently  came  a  cry  that  caused  the  hearts 
of  both  lads  to  thump  vigorously  within  their 
breasts.  It  was  the  note  of  a  night-owl,  repeated 
six  times. 

"  That's  a  Comanche  signal,"  said  Dan,  in  almost 
a  whisper.  "  Ralph,  they  must  be  coming  now, 
and  if  they  are,  God  help  us  to  do  our  best  in 
repelling  their  attack  !  " 

"  Amen ! "  came  almost  solemnly  from  the 
younger  Radbury.  "  Can  you  make  out  anything 
yet  ? " 

"  No  —  yes  !  Somebody  is  sneaking  through 
the  timber  toward  the  river.  It's  an  Indian  with 
a  gun !  He's  turning  toward  the  house,  and  two 
other  Indians  are  behind  him  !  " 

Several   minutes   more   passed  —  minutes   that 


52  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF    TEXAS. 

seemed  like  hours  to  the  boys,  whose  hearts 
thumped  as  never  before.  Both  felt  that  a  crisis 
in  their  lives  had  arrived. 

"They  are  coming,  five  strong,"  whispered  Dan, 
at  last.  "Perhaps  I  had  better  fire  a  pistol  to 
warn  them  off." 

"  Do  it,"  answered  his  brother,  and  soon  the 
report  broke  the  stillness.  At  the  sound  the  Co- 
manches  came  to  a  halt  in  the  clearing,  midway 
between  the  cabin  and  the  timber.  The  halt, 
however,  was  only  temporary,  for  an  instant  later 
a  wild  war-whoop  rang  out,  and  they  charged  swiftly 
on  the  ranch  home ! 


CHAPTER  VI. 

POKE  STOVER  TO  THE  FRONT. 

"  Here  they  come,  Dan  !  " 

"Yes,  Ralph.  Watch  your  chance,  and  fire  at 
the  fellow  on  the  left.  I'll  take  the  one  on  the 
right." 

There  was  no  time  to  say  more,  for  now  the 
Comanches  were  close  to  the  cabin.  Both  youths 
were  tremendously  excited,  but  they  felt  that  it 
was  a  case  of  life  or  death,  and  did  their  best  to 
nerve  themselves  accordingly.  Each  picked  his 
man,  and  both  guns  rang  out  at  the  same  time. 
The  reports  had  not  yet  died  away  when  the  red- 
skin aimed  at  by  Dan  flung  up  one  arm  and  sank 
back,  badly  wounded  in  the  side.  Ralph  had  missed 
his  mark  by  a  few  inches. 

The  sudden  attack  brought  the  remaining  Indians 
to  a  halt,  and  for  a  second  they  appeared  not  to 
know  what  to  do  next.  Then  the  wounded  man 
staggered  back  toward  the  timber,  and  with  another 
war-whoop  the  others  continued  toward  the  cabin. 

The  boys  had  no  time  left  to  reload,  and  caught 
up  the  pistols  and  let  drive  again.     This  time  it 

S3 


54  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

was  Ralph  who  hit  his  man,  a  slight  wound  in  the 
leg.  Hardly  had  the  pistols  belched  forth  than 
the  Indians  opened  fire,  and  four  bullets  buried 
themselves  close  to  the  firing-holes  in  the  loft 
openings. 

"They  mean  to  overpower  us  if  they  can,"  cried 
Dan.     "  We  must  load  up  as  fast  as  we  can  !  " 

The  Indians,  or  at  least  the  three  that  were  not 
wounded,  had  now  gained  the  door,  and  were  trying 
to  force  it  open.  But  their  hatchets  and  the  axe 
they  had  brought  along  failed  to  make  much  of  an 
impression  on  it,  and  all  they  could  do  was  to  shout 
in  their  rage  and  demand  that  the  boys  open  the 
door  at  once. 

"  Open  !  Open  !  "  came  in  Wolf  Ear's  voice. 
"  Open,  or  we  will  scalp  you  !  " 

"  Go  away,  or  we'll  shoot  you  all  down ! " 
answered  Dan,  who  had  now  reloaded  his  gun. 

"  We  will  not  go  away.  What  is  in  the  house 
belongs  to  the  red  man,  and  he  must  have  it." 

"  It  belongs  to  our  father,  and  you  shall  not 
have  one  thing,"  retorted  Dan. 

He  had  unbarred  the  shutter  of  one  of  the 
upper  windows,  and  now,  leaning  out  swiftly, 
he  took  aim  at  the  forms  grouped  below,  and 
fired. 

A  howl  went  up,  for  the  bullet  had  nipped  one 
red  man  in  the  ear  and  glanced  along  the  shoulder 
of  a  second.     Then  came  a  quick  fire  in  return, 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE   FRONT.  55 

and  Dan  gave  a  scream  that  caused  Ralph's  heart 
to  almost  stop  beating. 

"  You  are  struck  ?  "  queried  the  younger  brother. 

"  It's  not  much,"  came  from  Dan,  and,  breathing 
heavily,  he  flung  to  the  window-shutter  and  bolted 
it  again.  Then  he  came  down  the  ladder,  the 
blood  flowing  from  a  wound  in  his  neck.  Had 
the  bullet  come  two  inches  closer,  Dan  would  have 
been  killed  on  the  spot. 

The  Indians  were  now  trying  to  batter  the  door 
down  with  a  log  of  wood  picked  up  close  at  hand. 
The  cow  bothered  them  in  their  efforts,  and  one 
of  the  red  men  had  to  take  time  to  cut  her  loose, 
at  which  the  cow  ran  off  to  the  cattle  shed  once 
more. 

Thus  far  three  of  the  attackers  had  been 
wounded,  one  quite  seriously.  The  other  two 
continued  to  hammer  away  at  the  door,  which 
presently  showed  signs  of  giving  way. 

"  Let  us  try  to  fire  through  the  door,"  whispered 
Ralph,  when  he  saw  that  his  brother  was  still  able 
to  continue  the  struggle.  "  We  may  hit  them,  and, 
anyway,  we'll  give  them  a  scare." 

Dan  nodded,  and  both  drew  closer  to  the  barrier 
with  their  guns.  But  before  they  could  level  their 
firearms,  there  came  a  report  from  the  edge  of  the 
timber  next  to  the  burn,  and  one  of  the  Indians 
was  heard  to  yell  in  mortal  agony  and  fall  on  the 
doorstep. 


$6  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  Somebody  is  coming !  "  cried  Dan,  joyfully. 
"  It  must  be  father  !  "  Then  a  second  report  rang 
out,  and  another  red  man  was  struck,  in  the  arm. 
This  was  the  savage  who  had  previously  been 
nipped  in  the  ear,  and,  without  waiting  for  another 
shot,  he  sped  away  in  the  darkness,  and  his  two 
companions  after  him,  leaving  the  dead  Indian 
where  he  had  fallen. 

There  was  now  no  use  of  trying  to  fire  through 
the  door,  and  Dan  motioned  Ralph  to  run  up  to 
the  loft. 

"  See  if  you  can  make  out  who  it  was  that  fired," 
he  said,  "and  if  it  is  father,  and  he  wants  to  come 
in,  call  for  me  to  open  the  door." 

The  boys  had  lit  a  single  lantern,  but  now  this 
was  put  out,  since  they  were  afraid  some  treacher- 
ous red  man  might  still  be  lurking  at  hand,  to  fire 
at  them  through  a  crack  in  the  cabin  walls.  While 
Ralph  made  his  survey  from  above,  Dan  stood  at 
the  door,  his  hand  on  the  bar,  ready  to  throw  it 
back  on  an  instant's  notice. 

"  A  man  is  coming  on  the  run  !  "  announced 
Ralph,  presently.  "  He  is  waving  for  us  to  open 
the  door.     I  can't  make  out  who  it  is." 

"  Is  it  father  ?  " 

"  No,  I  can't  make  out  —  It's  Poke  Stover ! 
Let  him  in,  quick !  " 

Back  shot  the  bolt  and  up  went  the  heavy  bar, 
and  as  the  door  was  opened  to  the  width  of  a  foot, 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE   FRONT.  57 

the  figure  of  a  tall,  heavily  bearded  frontiersman 
slipped  into  the  cabin.  He  helped  hold  the  door 
while  Dan  secured  it  again. 

"  Poke  Stover  !  "  cried  the  youth.  "  I'm  mighty 
glad  you've  come  !  " 

"  Are  you  and  Ralph  safe  ?  "  was  the  question, 
as  soon  as  the  man  could  catch  his  breath,  for  he 
had  been  running  with  all  the  swiftness  at  his 
command. 

"  Yes,  although  I've  got  a  scratch  on  the  throat. 
But  father  —  do  you  know  anything  of  him  ? " 

"Yes,  he  has  gone  to  Gonzales  to  bring  help. 
He  says  he  signalled  to  you  from  the  tall  pine." 

"  So  he  did.  Did  he  have  a  fight  with  any  of 
the  Indians  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  was  attacked  by  Bison  Head  and 
Hank  Stiger,  the  half-breed.  He  put  a  bullet 
through  Stiger's  left  calf,  and  knocked  the  Injun 
down  with  the  butt  of  his  gun.  That's  the  reason 
the  two  were  not  with  the  party  that  attacked  the 
cabin." 

"  How  many  are  there,  all  told  ? "  asked  Ralph, 
who  had  come  down  the  ladder  again. 

"  Not  more  than  ten,  and  one  of  'em's  dead 
outside." 

"And  two  or  three  of  them  are  wounded," 
added  Dan. 

"  The  wust  on  it  is,  they'll  be  gittin'  thicker  and 
thicker,"  resumed  the  old  frontiersman,  who  had 


58  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

drifted  into  Texas  from  Missouri  several  years  ago, 
and  who  had  spent  all  of  his  life  on  the  plains. 
"  I've  half  a  notion  as  how  Bison  Head  is  tryin' 
to  git  the  whole  Comanche  nation  on  the  war- 
path." 

"  If  that's  the  case,  they  may  organise  around 
here,"  said  Ralph.  "  How  long  do  you  suppose  it 
will  be  before  father  gets  back  ? " 

"  He  said  he  would  try  to  make  it  by  daybreak," 
answered  Poke  Stover.  "  It's  accordin'  as  how  he 
finds  his  men." 

The  talking  now  dropped  off,  as  the  frontiers- 
man said  it  would  be  best  to  remain  silent  and 
keep  on  guard  at  the  various  port-holes  in  the 
shutters. 

Slowly  the  night  wore  away,  until  it  was  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  Only  one  alarm  had  come, 
but  this  had  amounted  to  nothing. 

"  I  see  a  light,"  announced  Dan.  "  Can  it  be  a 
camp-fire  ? " 

"Not  likely,  lad,"  answered  Stover.  "  Co- 
manches  on  the  war-path  don't  light  'em.  It's 
a  signal." 

"  Another  signal  to  attack  ? "  queried  Ralph. 

"  More'n  likely.  We  must  keep  our  eyes  peeled 
for  'em." 

Another  half-hour  dragged  by,  and  the  only 
sound  that  broke  the  stillness  was  the  morning 
breeze,  as  it  began  to  stir  through  the  timber  sur- 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE   FRONT.  59 

rounding  the  clearing.  Outside  not  a  soul  was  to 
be  seen. 

"  Perhaps  that  was  a  signal  to  withdraw,"  sug- 
gested Dan.  "  I  hope  it  was."  But  Poke 
Stover  shook  his  head,  for  he  had  seen  much 
of  the  Comanches  and  understood  them  thor- 
oughly. 

"  They  won't  go  until  they've  had  another  round 
at  ye,"  he  said.  "I'm  expectin'  'em  every  minit 
now." 

Scarcely  had  he  finished,  when  something  at- 
tracted Dan's  attention  back  of  the  cattle  shed. 
An  object  was  moving  around.  Presently  it 
started  straight  for  the  cabin. 

"  It  looks  like  one  of  the  cows  —  and  it  is,"  he 
announced.     "  I  wonder  what  started  her  up  ? " 

"  Let  me  take  a  squint,"  said  the  frontiersman, 
and  covered  the  port-hole  searchingly  for  half  a 
minute.  Then  he  raised  his  rifle,  took  careful  aim, 
and  blazed  away.  There  was  a  grunt  of  dismay, 
and  an  Indian,  who  had  been  driving  the  cow  and 
dodging  directly  behind,  ran  back,  while  the  cow 
kicked  up  her  heels  and  flew  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

"Thar,  I  reckon  he'll  know  enough  to  keep  back 
after  this,"  growled  Poke  Stover,  with  much  self- 
satisfaction.  "  He  thought  he  was  goin'  to  sneak 
up  unbeknown  to  us,  but  I  crossed  his  trail  fer  him 
that  trip." 


60  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  he  was  going  to  do,  if  he 
had  gotten  close  to  the  cabin  ? "  asked  Ralph. 

"  He  had  a  bunch  of  brush  in  his  hand,  lad,  and 
probably  a  bit  o'  fire  about  him,  too,  although  I 
allow  as  how  I  didn't  see  no  light." 

"  Then  he  wanted  to  burn  us  out !  "  ejaculated 
the  youngest  Radbury. 

"That  was  his  game." 

Ralph  shivered  at  the  thought.  It  was  bad 
enough  to  be  shot  at,  but  to  be  burned  out  !  He 
wished  daylight  would  come  and  his  father  would 
return  with  the  much-needed  aid. 

With  the  coming  of  daylight  those  in  the  cabin 
could  see  with  greater  clearness  under  the  tall 
timber,  and  soon  Poke  Stover  announced  that 
several  Indians  were  in  sight. 

"They  are  making  something,"  he  announced. 
"  Looks  like  a  stone  -  boat,"  meaning  thereby 
a  sort  of  flat  drag-sled  often  used  for  removing 
stones  from  a  field. 

"  I  know  what  it  is  !  "  exclaimed  Dan.  "It's  a 
shield  !  One  or  two  of  them  will  come  up  behind 
it.     See  if  I  am  not  right." 

The  three  waited  anxiously,  Ralph  fairly  holding 
his  breath  in  expectancy.  At  last  the  shield,  for 
such  it  was,  was  done,  and  slowly  two  Comanches 
came  forward,  holding  it  in  front  of  them,  and 
taking  care  that  neither  should  expose  so  much 
as  a  hand  or  foot. 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE  FRONT.  6 1 

"  Hang  'em  ! "  muttered  the  tall  frontiersman, 
and,  taking  deliberate  aim  at  a  slight  crack  in  the 
wooden  shield,  he  fired.  But  the  barrier  was  thick 
and  tough,  and  the  bullet  failed  to  penetrate  to  the 
opposite  side. 

One  of  the  Indians  behind  the  shield  carried  a 
bunch  of  dry  grass  and  some  brush,  and  as  they 
came  closer  this  was  lighted.  Then  the  burning 
stuff  was  hurled  forward.  It  was  tied  into  a 
bundle  with  some  strong  vines,  and  had  a  stone 
attached  to  give  it  weight.  It  landed  on  the  roof 
of  the  cabin,  blazing  brightly,  then  rolled  off  to  a 
spot  directly  below  one  of  the  windows. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

IN    AND    OUT   OF    THE    BURNING   CABIN. 

"  The  roof  is  on  fire !  " 

"  The  wall  is  on  fire  under  one  of  the  sleeping- 
room  windows ! " 

The  first  cry  came  from  Ralph,  who  was  in  the 
loft,  the  second  from  his  brother,  who  saw  the 
flames  and  smoke  coming  through  the  cracks 
where  the  wall  and  the  flooring  of  the  cabin  joined. 
The  breeze  was  increasing,  and  soon  both  fires 
were  burning  merrily,  as  if  such  flames  were  not 
tending  toward  a  tragedy. 

"  Some  water  —  we  must  put  it  out !  "  came 
from  Poke  Stover,  and,  catching  up  one  of  the 
buckets  the  boys  had  thoughtfully  provided,  he 
ran  to  the  window  beneath  which  the  conflagration 
was  spreading.  "  Unbar  it,  Dan,  and  I'll  souse  it 
out.     Look  out  that  you  don't   expose  yourself." 

The  shutter  was  unbarred  and  opened  for  the 
space  of  several  inches.  At  once  the  smoke 
began  to  pour  into  the  cabin,  setting  them  all  to 
coughing.  Then  the  breeze  carried  the  smoke  in 
the  opposite  direction. 

62 


THE  BURNING    CABIN.  63 

Suddenly  Poke  Stover  set  down  the  bucket  of 
water  and  grabbed  Dan's  gun.  A  quick  aim  and 
a  flash,  and  one  of  the  Comanches  let  go  of  the 
shield  and  danced  around  with  a  broken  elbow. 
Then  both  of  the  enemy  retreated  far  more 
rapidly  than  they  had  come. 

"  Got  him  that  trip,"  was  the  frontiersman's 
satisfactory  comment.  "  But  be  careful,  Dan, 
there  are  others  watching  us  from  the  timber." 

The  shutter  was  pushed  open  a  little  more, 
and  with  much  skill  Poke  Stover  dashed  the 
water  on  the  blaze  and  put  the  most  of  it  out. 
Then  he  wet  an  old  coat  and  beat  out  what 
remained. 

"  It's  a  pity  we  didn't  have  no  dirt  handy  to 
shovel  on,"  he  said,  pausing  to  catch  his  breath, 
while  Dan  locked  the  shutter  again.  "  We  may 
need  this  water  afore  we  git  through.  How  is  it 
up  thar,  Ralph  ?  "  he  called. 

"  It's  burning  pretty  lively,"  was  the  reply. 
"  But  perhaps  we  can  beat  it  out  with  the  coat." 

"The  Indians  can  spot  you  on  the  roof,"  said 
Dan. 

"  Go  down  and  unbar  the  door  and  swing  it 
partly  open,"  said  Poke  Stover.  "That  will 
attract  the  attention  of  the  Injuns,  and  they  won't 
be  a-lookin'  at  the  roof.  But  wait  a  minit,  till  I'm 
ready  fer  ye  ! "  he  added,  as  he  laboured  up  the 
ladder  with  a  second  bucket  of  the  precious  water. 


64  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

The  old  coat  was  soused  thoroughly,  and  Stover 
opened  the  shutter  nearest  to  the  fire. 

"  Now  go  ahead ! "  he  called  out,  and  Dan 
opened  the  door,  and  swung  it  back  and  forth 
several  times.  He  also  showed  his  hat  on  a  stick, 
and  in  a  trice  came  several  shots,  one  going 
through  the  head-covering  and  entering  the  closet 
in  the  corner.  Then  he  swung  the  hat  out  again, 
and  another  shot  followed. 

During  this  time  the  old  frontiersman  had 
reached  out  of  the  upper  window  and  beat  out 
part  of  the  fire  and  hurled  the  remainder  to  the 
ground,  far  enough  away  from  the  cabin  to  keep 
it  from  doing  further  harm.  One  shot  was  aimed  at 
him,  as  the  breeze  exposed  him  through  the  smoke 
to  the  Comanches,  but  this  luckily  flew  wide  of  its 
mark. 

"  By  gosh,  but  that  was  a  close  shave  !  "  ejacu- 
lated Stover,  as  he  dropped  back  into  the  loft, 
while  Ralph  closed  the  shutter.  His  beard  was 
singed  in  two  places  and  his  face  was  red  and  hot. 
"  It's  a  good  thing  that  fire  wasn't  allow  to  gain 
no  more  headway." 

He  bathed  his  face  and  took  a  drink  of  water, 
and  then  all  three  began  to  speculate  upon  the 
next  probable  movement  of  the  Comanches.  By 
the  clock  on  the  living-room  mantel  it  was  now 
half-past  four. 

"Father  ought  to  be  coming  now,"  said  Ralph. 


THE  BURNING    CABIN.  6$ 

"  But  perhaps  he  has  been  unable  to  get  anybody 
to  come  back  with  him." 

"Don't  worry  about  that,"  returned  Poke 
Stover.  "  They'll  all  come  if  only  they  git  the 
word.  The  buck  ague  don't  go  around  here." 
By  buck  ague  the  frontiersman  meant  the  fright 
which  occasionally  takes  possession  of  a  pioneer  or 
soldier  when  facing  Indians  who  are  on  the  war- 
path. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  the  Indians  be- 
gan to  show  their  activity  once  more.  Others  of 
the  tribe  had  arrived,  until  they  numbered  eighteen 
or  twenty,  the  majority  of  whom  were  armed  with 
guns,  only  one  or  two  of  the  older  warriors  sticking 
to  their  bows  and  arrows. 

"  I  reckon  they  suspect  we  are  waiting  for  help, 
and  they  mean  to  do  something  before  it  gits  too 
late,"  observed  Poke  Stover.  "  Perhaps  they'll 
give  us  another  rush  before  they  withdraw  fer 
good.  We  had  better  inspect  all  of  our  shootin'- 
irons,  fer  we  may  want  'em  badly." 

The  frontiersman  was  right,  the  Comanches 
were  organising  an  attack,  to  be  divided  into  three 
parts,  —  one  party  to  come  from  the  timber  skirt- 
ing the  burn,  the  second  to  come  up  behind  the 
cabin,  and  the  third  to  make  a  dash  from  behind 
the  cattle  shed.  The  first  division  carried  a  heavy 
log,  with  which  they  hoped  to  batter  down  the  door 
in  short  order. 


66  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"They  are  coming  !  "  The  cry  came  from  Dan, 
who  was  watching  the  timber  in  front  of  the  burn. 
"There  are  six  of  them  !  " 

"  Here  comes  another  crowd  from  the  shed ! " 
ejaculated  Ralph. 

"  They  have  divided  up,"  said  the  frontiersman. 
"  Boys,  I'm  afraid  we  now  have  a  stiff  piece  of 
work  cut  out  for  ourselves.  A  third  party  is 
coming  from  the  rear,  and  there  is  no  telling  but 
what  there  may  be  still  more.  We  must  do  our  best 
and  fight  to  a  finish,  for  they  are  on  the  war-path 
for  fair,  and  they'll  show  us  no  mercy  if  once  they 
git  at  us.  Load  up  and  fire  jest  as  quick  as  ye 
can  !     Give  it  to  'em  hot !  " 

As  Poke  Stover  finished,  he  leaped  to  the  win- 
dow nearest  to  him,  shoved  the  muzzle  of  his 
weapon  through  the  port-hole,  and  pulled  the 
trigger.  A  yell  went  up  as  one  of  the  redskins 
threw  up  his  arms  and  fell.  But  then  the  others 
came  on  faster  than  ever,  yelling  and  shouting  in 
a  manner  to  cause  the  stoutest  heart  to  falter. 
Surely,  as  Stover  had  said,  it  would  be  a  fight  to 
the  finish,  and  they  were  but  three  to  seventeen. 

Dan  was  at  one  port-hole  and  Ralph  at  another, 
and  now  both  fired  simultaneously.  Whether  the 
shots  were  effective  they  could  not  tell.  Cer- 
tainly none  of  the  Indians  dropped. 

In  two  minutes  more  the  Comanches  were  run- 
ning around  the  house  in   every  direction,  trying 


THE  BURNING    CABIN.  6? 

to  batter  down  the  door  with  the  log,  and  likewise 
trying  to  pry  open  several  of  the  shutters  with 
their  hatchets. 

At  such  close  quarters  it  was  next  to  impossible  to 
fire  on  them,  although  several  gun  and  pistol  shots 
were  exchanged.  Once  an  Indian  fired  through  a 
port-hole  into  the  bedchamber,  and  the  burning 
gun-wad  landed  on  one  of  the  straw  bedticks. 

"  Put  it  out ! "  roared  Poke  Stover,  and  while 
Dan  trampled  on  the  fire  to  extinguish  it,  the 
frontiersman  let  the  Indian  have  a  shot  in 
return. 

Crash !  crash !  The  heavy  bombardment  on  the 
door  was  beginning  to  tell,  and  already  there  was 
a  long  crack  in  the  oaken  slab,  and  the  splinters 
were  flying  in  all  directions. 

"  We'll  take  our  stand  here  !  "  cried  Poke  Stover, 
motioning  to  a  spot  facing  the  door.  "  Give  it  to 
'em  the  minit  daylight  shines  through !  "  And 
they  did,  with  such  serious  results  that  the  party 
with  the  ram  dropped  that  instrument  and  ran  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  house.  But  their  places 
were  quickly  taken  by  others,  and  now  it  looked 
as  if  the  door  must  give  way  at  any  instant. 

Suddenly,  just  when  it  looked  as  if  the  next 
shock  to  the  door  must  smash  it  into  a  hundred 
pieces,  there  came  a  scattering  volley  of  rifle-shots 
from  the  timber  near  the  river,  answered  almost 
instantly  by  a  second  volley  from  the  forest  oppo- 


68  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

site.  Then  came  a  yell  from  the  Comanches,  and 
a  cheer  in  English. 

"  Hold  the  cabin  !  We  are  coming !  "  came  in 
Mr.  Radbury's  well-known  voice,  and  never  had  it 
sounded  more  comforting  to  the  two  boys  than  at 
that  moment.  Then  followed  more  shots,  some 
striking  the  cabin  and  others  hitting  the  Indians, 
who  were  so  demoralised  that  for  the  moment 
they  knew  not  what  to  do. 

"  Down  with  the  redskins  !  "  came  in  the  tones 
of  a  settler  named  Whippier,  who  had  lost  his 
wife  in  a  raid  about  a  year  previous.  "  Kill  every 
one  of  'em  !     Don't  let  them  escape !  " 

In  his  eagerness  to  annihilate  those  he  so  hated, 
he  rode  to  the  front  of  the  others,  discharging  his 
gun  and  his  pistol  as  he  came,  and  then  leaping 
upon  the  nearest  redskin  with  his  long  hunting- 
knife.  He  brought  the  red  man  down  with  a 
stroke  in  the  breast,  and  was  then  laid  low  him- 
self by  Red  Pony,  an  under  chief,  who  was  in 
charge  during  the  absence  of  Wolf  Ear  and  Bison 
Head.  Red  Pony  then  ran  off  for  his  very  life, 
followed  by  fourteen  others,  the  remainder  being 
either  killed  or  wounded. 

"  Boys  !  Are  either  of  you  wounded  ? "  asked 
Mr.  Radbury,  as  he  leaped  from  the  mustang  he 
was  riding,  and  rushed  into  the  cabin. 

"  We  are  all  right,  father,"  answered  both  lads. 

"Thank  God  for  that!"  murmured  the  parent, 


THE  BURNING    CABIN.  69 

reverently.  "  But,  see,  your  neck  is  bleeding,"  he 
added,  to  Dan. 

"  It's  only  a  scratch." 

"  Good.  Poke,  I  see  you  managed  to  get  to 
them.  You  are  a  brave  fellow,  if  ever  there 
was    one." 

"We've  had  a  hot  time  of  it,  father,"  put  in 
Ralph.  "If  it  hadn't  been  for  Mr.  Stover,  I 
don't    know   what    we    would   have  done." 

"  Ralph  is  right,"  assented  Dan.  "  If  he  hadn't 
put  out  the  fire  we  would  have  been  burnt  out, 
and  the  cabin  would  have  gone  up  in  smoke  in  the 
bargain." 

"I  shall  not  forget  your  kindness,  Poke,"  said 
Mr.  Radbury,  taking  the  frontiersman's  horny 
hand.  "  But,  as  you  are  all  right,  I  fancy  I  had 
better  join  the  others,  and  follow  the  miscreants." 

"And  I'll  go  with  ye,"  said  Poke  Stover,  who 
disliked  too  much  praise,  although  not  averse  to 
some  laudatory  speech.  "We  ought  to  round 
up  every  mother's  son  of  'em  while  we  are 
about   it." 

"  Shall  we  go  too  ?  "  asked  Dan.  "  I'd  rather 
do  that  than  remain  behind,"  he  continued. 

"  You  may  come,  if  you'll  promise  to  keep  to 
the  rear,"  answered  the  father.  "  Remember,  the 
Indians  are  wily,  and  may  set  a  trap  for  us." 

All  went  outside,  crawling  through  the  battered 
doorway,  and  were  soon  mounted  on  several  extra 


yo  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

mustangs  Mr.  Radbury  had  brought  along.  The 
planter  informed  them  that  he  had  brought  with 
him  twenty-four  men,  including  Jim  Bowie,  who 
had  happened  to  be  in  Gonzales  at  the  time. 
Soon  the  party  of  four  were  riding  hard  to  catch 
up  with  the  other  whites,  who  were  following  the 
trail  of  the  Comanches  along  the  bank  of  the 
upper  Guadalupe  River. 


"FOLLOWING    THE    TRAIL    OF    THE    COMANCHES. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AN    UNSUCCESSFUL    PURSUIT. 

After  leaving  the  vicinity  of  the  cabin,  the 
Comanches  struck  a  trail  leading  through  a  cedar 
brake  over  the  hill  back  of  the  cattle  shed.  Here 
they  came  together,  and  without  halting  swept 
straight  along  the  Guadalupe  River,  as  previously 
mentioned.  They  felt  that  the  whites  would 
follow  them,  and  their  one  hope  of  safety  lay  in 
gaining  the  wilderness  about  San  Saba  Hill, 
sixty  to  seventy  miles  north  of  San  Antonio. 

The  leadership  of  the  whites  naturally  fell  to 
Colonel  Jim  Bowie,  for  he  had  been  in  numerous 
Indian  quarrels,  and  was  a  good  man  on  the  trail. 
It  may  be  here  mentioned  that  Bowie,  who  was 
afterward  to  become  so  well  known  in  Texas,  was 
one  of  two  brothers  who  came  to  that  territory 
from  Louisiana,  after  having  been  engaged  for 
years  in  the  slave-trade.  The  man  was  as  bold 
as  he  was  daring,  and  it  was  said  that  he  knew 
not  the  meaning  of  the  word  fear. 

The  Indians  were  all  on  horseback,  and  as  their 
steeds  had  had  a  long  rest  they  were  fresh,  and 

71 


72  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

made  rapid  progress.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
mustangs  of  the  whites  were  tired  from  the  hard 
night's  ride  from  Gonzales  and  vicinity,  and 
they  could  not  keep  up  the  pace,  although  urged 
to  do  their  best  by  their  riders.  All  of  the 
whites  bewailed  the  fate  of  Whippier,  and 
swore  to  be  revenged  if  given  "the  ghost  of  a 
chance." 

When  Amos  Radbury,  Stover,  and  the  two 
boys  gained  the  other  whites,  they  found  Bowie's 
party  fording  one  of  the  creeks  running  into  the 
Guadalupe.  The  Indians  had  passed  there  about 
ten  minutes  before,  and  it  was  to  be  seen  that 
they  had  not  even  stopped  to  water  their  horses. 
All  of  the  settlers'  horses  were  thirsty,  and  some 
refused  to  budge  from  the  stream  until  they  had 
slaked  their  thirst. 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  be  caught  ? "  asked 
Dan,  as  he  swept  along  beside  his  father. 

"  They  will  not  oe  caught  if  they  can  help  it," 
replied  Mr.  Radbury,  with  a  faint  smile.  "They 
know  it  will  go  hard  with  them  if  we  do  come  up 
with  them." 

"What  of  the  wounded?"  asked  Ralph.  But 
his  father  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  They'll  crawl  off  in  the  bushes,  and  either  git 
away,  or  die,"  answered  Poke  Stover,  philosophi- 
cally. To  him  the  life  of  an  Indian  was  of  no 
account.     He  had  never  considered  that  an  Indian 


AN  UNSUCCESSFUL   PURSUIT.  73 

might  be  educated  into  becoming  a  useful  member 
of  the  great  human  family. 

On  and  on  swept  the  little  body  of  determined 
whites,  each  with  his  gun  in  his  hands,  and  his 
eyes  on  the  alert  for  the  first  sign  of  danger. 
The  trail  was  still  along  the  river,  but  presently 
it  branched  off,  and  entered  an  arrayo,  or  gully, 
thick  with  thorny  plants  and  entangling  vines. 
At  the  end  of  the  arrayo  was  a  rocky  plateau, 
and  here  for  the  time  being  the  trail  was  lost. 

"The  Indian  that's  leading  them  knows  his 
business,"  remarked  Colonel  Bowie,  as  he  brought 
his  command  to  a  halt. 

"  That's  right,  but  we'll  soon  be  on  his  tail 
ag'in,"  returned  Poke  Stover,  who  had  come  to 
his  side.  "  Let's  spread  out  in  a  fan,  colonel ; " 
and  this  was  done,  each  man  examining  his  part 
of  the  great  semicircle  with  extreme  care.  A 
short  while  after,  the  trail  was  again  struck,  and 
they  swept  on.  But  at  both  this  place  and  at 
the  ford  valuable  time  had  been   lost. 

Noon  found  the  Comanches  still  out  of  sight  and 
hearing.  But  the  trail  was  fresh  and  easily  seen, 
and  it  seemed  only  a  question  of  endurance  upon 
one  side  or  the  other. 

"  If  it  wasn't  for  the  jaded  hosses,"  sighed  Poke 
Stover.  His  own  steed  was  fairly  fresh,  but  it 
would  have  been  foolhardy  for  him  to  have  gone 
on  ahead  of  the  main  body,  with  perhaps  only  one 


74  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

or  two  others  being  able  to  do  likewise.  The 
Comanches  would  have  liked  nothing  better  than 
to  have  gotten  at  the  whites  one  at  a  time. 

As  the  afternoon  came  and  went,  the  party  in 
pursuit  began  to  grow  hungry.  A  few  of  the 
horsemen  had  brought  rations  with  them,  and 
these  were  divided,  each  man  and  boy  eating  as 
he  rode  on.  Some  of  the  men  likewise  carried 
liquor,  and  this  was  also  divided,  although  Ralph 
and  Dan  procured  drinks  of  water  at  a  spring 
instead.  In  those  days  it  was  share  and  share 
alike  with  all  of  the  settlers,  and  one  man  was  con- 
sidered as  good  as  another  so  long  as  he  was  honest 
and  willing  to  work.  For  dandies,  from  Philadel- 
phia, New  York,  or  other  large  cities,  the  Texans 
had  no  use,  nor  did  they  love  those  who  tried  to 
show  off  their  learning.  They  were  whole-souled, 
as  it  is  called,  to  the  core,  and  they  wanted  every- 
body else  to  be  so,  too. 

It  was  growing  dark  when  Bowie  called  a  halt 
on  the  edge  of  a  small  clearing  leading  up  to  a  hill 
thickly  overgrown  with  scrub  pines. 

"  We  must  be  careful  here,  men,"  he  said. 
"They  may  be  scattered  along  yonder  timber 
belt,  watching  for  us  to  uncover  ourselves.  We 
had  better  move  'to  the  right  and  the  left,  and  give 
the  old  signal  if  any  of  the  redskins  appear  in 
sight." 

The  split  was  made,  but  the  Radburys  and  Poke 


AN   UNSUCCESSFUL    PURSUIT.  J$ 

Stover  kept  together.  One  Indian  was  discovered, 
and  the  settler  who  saw  him  at  once  shouted,  as 
prearranged.  Then  the  Indians,  seeing  that  the 
attempt  to  draw  the  whites  into  the  open  had 
failed,  dashed  along  up  the  hillside,  as  rapidly 
as  the  tangle  of  growth  permitted.  A  number 
of  shots  were  exchanged,  but  nobody  was  hit. 

During  the  afternoon  one  of  the  men  had 
brought  down  a  wild  turkey,  and  another  several 
hares,  for  game  of  all  kinds  was  still  thick. 

"That  will  do  for  supper,"  said  Mr.  Radbury. 
"  But  we  will  have  to  be  careful  how  we  build  a 
fire." 

At  seven  o'clock  the  chase  came  to  an  end  for 
the  day,  the  jaded  ponies  refusing  to  climb  the  hill 
that  loomed  up  before  them.  One  of  the  ponies 
was  a  bucker,  and  threw  his  rider  over  his  head 
into  a  mesquite-bush. 

"Thet  settles  Bill  Darson,"  drawled  the  Texan, 
as  he  extricated  himself  from  his  difficulty.  "  When 
the  pony  kicks,  I  kick,  too.  We  don't  go  no  fur- 
ther jest  now,  hyer  me  !  " 

But  Bowie,  Mr.  Radbury,  and  several  others 
insisted  upon  gaining  the  brow  of  the  hill,  as 
a  point  of  vantage,  and  all  plodded  to  the  top, 
where  they  went  into  camp  in  the  midst  of  the 
trees,  half  a  dozen  men  being  sent  out  to  do  picket 
duty,  so  that  Bison  Head's  band  might  not  crawl 
up  during  the  night  and  surprise  them. 


y6  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"I'd  like  to  know  what  became  of  Wolf  Ear 
and  Hank  Stiger,"  remarked  Dan,  as  he  flung 
himself  on  the  ground,  glad  enough  to  get  out 
of  his  high  and  uncomfortable  Mexican  saddle. 

"They  know  enough  to  git  out  o'  sight  when 
thar's  a  fight  on,"  answered  Poke  Stover,  with  a 
broad  laugh.  "Them  kind  o'  varmin  always  does." 
Usually  the  frontiersman  spoke  fair  English,  but  at 
times  he  dropped  into  the  vernacular  of  the  plains. 

"  I  hope  he  doesn't  go  back  to  the  cabin,  now 
it's  deserted,"  put  in  Ralph. 

"  He  may  do  that !  "  burst  out  Dan.  "  I  never 
thought  of  it  before."  And  he  mentioned  the 
matter  to  his   father. 

"  He  will  hardly  dare  to  go  back,  for  other 
settlers  will  be  coming  up  from  time  to  time," 
said  Mr.  Radbury.  "  He  knows  only  too  well 
that  he  is  already  in  bad  favour  with  all  straight- 
forward men." 

"  He's  a  sneak,"  said  Ralph.  "  But  by  the 
way,  father,  you  haven't  told  us  your  story  yet, 
although  we  have  told  ours." 

"  There  is  not  much  to  tell,  Ralph.  I  went  for 
the  deer,  as  you  know.  I  was  dragging  it  back  to 
the  cabin,  when  I  caught  sight  of  several  Indians, 
and,  by  their  movements,  I  saw  that  they  wanted 
to  cut  me  off  and,  more  than  likely,  slay  me.  I  at 
once  abandoned  the  deer  and  ran  deeper  than  ever 
into  the  woods." 


AN  UNSUCCESSFUL   PURSUIT.  JJ 

"  Of  course  they  followed  you  ?  "  came  from  Dan. 

"Yes,  they  followed  me,  but  only  one  or  two 
shots  were  exchanged,  and  I  was  not  hit.  I  think 
I  wounded  one  Indian,  but  I  am  not  certain.  Then 
I  gave  them  the  slip  and  climbed  into  the  king 
pine,  as  you  boys  named  the  tree.  You  remember 
the  signal  I  gave  you  ?  " 

"To  be  sure." 

"  I  meant  I  would  try  to  get  help  near  by,  if 
possible.  I  had  seen  several  lumbermen  around, 
and  I  fancied  they  might  be  down  the  river  a  mile 
or  so.  I  ran  along  the  river  with  all  my  might, 
and  there  met  Poke  Stover  and  told  him  what 
was  happening.  He  at  once  agreed  to  go  to 
your  aid,  and  urged  me  to  arouse  the  settlers 
around  Gonzales.  He  promised  to  hold  the 
cabin  and  stand  by  you  as  long  as  he  could 
draw  his  breath." 

"And  he  did  it !  "  cried  Ralph.  "  He's  a  noble 
man." 

"  At  first  I  could  find  nobody  at  home,"  went  on 
Mr.  Radbury.  "Joel  Nalitt  was  away,  and  at  the 
Runyons'  only  the  women  folks  were  in.  But  over 
to  the  Powers's  ranch  I  met  Powers,  Anderson, 
Striker,  and  a  German,  who  was  a  stranger,  and 
they  said  they  would  all  come  along.  Anderson  rode 
over  to  Whippler's,  and  those  two  brought  along 
the  other  men.  It's  too  bad  that  Whippier  was 
killed." 


?8  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

All  in  the  party  agreed  with  Mr.  Radbury  in 
this,  although  some  said  that  it  was  better  Whip- 
pier should  be  killed  than  some  man  with  a  wife 
and  children.  Whippier  and  his  late  wife  had 
never  had  any  offspring. 

The  night  was  raw  and  cold,  and  toward  morn- 
ing a  fine  rain  set  in,  adding  greatly  to  the 
discomforts  of  the  whites.  The  game  brought 
down  proved  but  a  scanty  meal  all  around,  and 
for  breakfast  there  remained  absolutely  nothing. 

"This  is  too  bad,"  said  Dan,  referring  to  the 
rain.  He  was  soaked  to  the  skin,  and  so  was 
everybody  else  in  the  party. 

The  trail  was  taken  up  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough  to  see,  and  the  Indians  were  followed  fully 
fifteen  miles,  over  a  winding  way  leading  over  hills 
and  rocks,  and  through  immense  belts  of  timber 
land.  They  had  to  ford  several  streams,  and  at 
one  of  these  points  they  stopped  for  an  hour  to 
catch  and  cook  some  black  bass,  which  were  plenti- 
ful.    Toward  nightfall  the  chase  came  to  an  end. 

"It's  no  use,"  said  one  of  the  oldest  of  the 
settlers.  "They've  got  too  good  a  start  of  us, 
and  it  will  be  foolishness  for  a  mere  handful  of 
whites  to  ride  right  into  the  Indian  country. 
They'll  lay  a  trap  and  massacre  every  one  of  us." 

All  of  the  others  agreed  with  the  spokesman, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  the  party  was  riding 
back  toward  Gonzales.     At  first  they  followed  the 


AN  UNSUCCESSFUL   PURSUIT.  79 

winding  trail,  but,  coming  to  one  of  the  numerous 
creeks  of  the  vicinity,  they  branched  off  and  took 
almost  a  direct  route  to  the  town. 

"  Will  you  go  back  with  us  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Rad- 
bury  of  Poke  Stover,  when  it  came  time  for  the 
Radburys  to  separate  from  the  others.  The  ranch 
home  could  be  seen  from  the  top  of  a  neighbouring 
hill,  and  all  seemed  to  be  as  they  had  left  it  two 
days  before. 

"  Yes,  I  reckon  I  will,"  answered  the  frontiers- 
man. "  I  ain't  got  nothin'  else  to  do,  and  ye  may 
want  an  extra  man  about  fer  a  day  or  two,  jest  for 
to  keep  his  eye  open." 

The  storm  had  cleared  away,  and  the  sun 
was  shining  brightly  as  the  party  of  four  rode 
up  to  the  battered  door  of  the  deserted  cabin. 
Down  around  the  cattle  shed  the  cows  were 
browsing  away  as  usual,  and  several  of  the  pigs 
gave  Ralph  a  grunt  of  recognition  as  he  passed 
them. 

"  Home  again  ! "  cried  Dan,  and  hopping  to  the 
ground  he  crawled  through  the  doorway  into  the 
living-room  of  the  cabin.  As  he  went  in  he 
noticed  that  the  body  of  the  dead  red  man  had 
been  removed  from  the  doorstep. 

"  Is  it  all  right  ?  "  asked  Ralph,  when  a  cry 
from  his  brother  aroused  him. 

"  An  Indian  !  "  came  from  Dan.  He  had  dis- 
covered a  wounded  red  man  lying  on  the  floor  in 


BO  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

the  corner.     Then  he  gazed  around  the  room  and 
glanced  into  the  sleeping  apartment. 

"  Father,  come  in,  quick ! "  he  went  on. 
"Somebody  has  been  here,  and  has  carried  off  a 
dozen  or  more  things.  And  your  desk  is  broken 
open,  too,  and  all  your  papers  are  scattered  about. 
Did  you  have  any  money  in  the  desk  ? " 


CHAPTER   IX. 

BIG    FOOT    AND    THE    MISSING    PAPERS. 

Dan's  cry  brought  Mr.  Radbury  into  the  cabin 
without  further  delay,  followed  by  Ralph  and  Poke 
Stover. 

"What  has  been  stolen?"  queried  Amos  Rad- 
bury. "  I  see  that  old  Revolutionary  sword  of 
your  grandfather  is  gone." 

"  So  are  two  of  the  pistols,  and  that  half  dozen 
solid  silver  spoons  mother  got  from  Aunt  Eliza- 
beth," answered  Dan.  "But  what  of  money  in 
the  desk  ? " 

"  I  had  but  little  —  not  over  twenty  dollars  all 
told,  Dan."  Mr.  Radbury  walked  over  to  the 
little  desk,  which  was  a  rude  affair  made  by  him- 
self during  his  leisure  hours.  "Yes,  it's  been 
ransacked  pretty  thoroughly." 

"  Is  anything  missing  ?  "  asked  Ralph. 

"I  can't  say."  Amos  Radbury  looked  over  a 
number  of  the  papers.  "I  guess  they  are  all 
right.  No,  there  is  my  discharge  from  the  army, 
after  the  war  of  1812.  The  rascal  who  broke 
open  the  desk  took  the  pleasure  of  tearing  that  in 

81 


82  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

half."  He  rummaged  about  a  bit  more.  "  Hullo, 
it's  gone !  "  he  cried. 

"  What's  gone  ? "  came  from  both  boys. 

"  The  papers  relating  to  this  grant  of  land." 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  "  asked  Dan. 

"  Yes,  it  isn't  anywhere  about." 

Mr.  Radbury  was  more  worried  about  the 
papers  pertaining  to  the  land  grant  than  over 
anything  else,  and  at  once  a  search  was  instituted, 
outside  of  the  ranch  home  as  well  as  indoors.  It 
proved  of  no  avail,  —  the  papers  were  gone. 

"  Will  it  do  much  harm  ? "  asked  Ralph,  who 
knew  very  little  as  yet  about  real  estate  matters. 

"It  may  and  it  may  not,"  answered  the  father. 
"  Of  course  the  grant  is  recorded,  but  with 
matters  in  such  a  revolutionary  state  the  records 
may  at  some  time  be  destroyed,  and  then  some- 
body else  might  come  forward  and  claim  this 
grant." 

"  Well,  I  reckon  you  won't  give  it  up,  partner," 
put  in  Poke  Stover,  suggestively. 

"Not  without  a  fight,  Stover,"  was  Mr.  Rad- 
bury's  firm  answer.  "  The  land  is  mine,  paid  for, 
and  I'll  hold  it,  papers  or  no  papers,  and  no  matter 
how  the  affairs  of  the  government  turn." 

"  I  wonder  who  was  the  thief,"  mused  Dan. 
"I  don't  believe  it  was  an  Indian.  He  might  take 
the  other  things,  but  he  wouldn't  know  anything 
about  the  papers,  nor  care  for  them." 


Oh,  Luke  !     See  the  Stars  and  Stripes  !     Page  183 


It  ain't  the  Cubans  I'm  talking  about  now     Page  44 


BIG   FOOT  AND    THE   MISSING  PAPERS.      83 

"  He  might  be  cute  enough  to  take  the  papers 
just  to  throw  us  off  the  scent,"  suggested  Ralph. 

"You're  wrong,  Ralph,  for  he  wouldn't  know 
one  paper  from  another." 

"But  he'd  know  the  land  papers  were  impor- 
tant, because  of  the  seals  on  them,"  persisted 
the  youngest  Radbury. 

The  Indian  in  the  corner  now  demanded  their 
attention.  He  was  plainly  in  a  bad  way,  and  Poke 
Stover  said  it  was  very  doubtful  if  he  would  live. 

"  If  he  does  pull  through  it  will  only  be  because 
he's  a  redskin  and  as  tough  as  all  creation,"  added 
the  old  frontiersman. 

In  his  guttural  tongue  the  redskin  appealed  to 
Dan  for  a  drink  of  water. 

"  Certainly,  I'll  give  you  a  drink,"  answered  the 
boy,  kindly,  and  went  out  to  get  some  water  that 
was  cool.  After  the  Indian  had  had  his  fill,  Dan 
used  the  remainder  of  the  water  in  washing  his 
wounds  and  then  bound  them  up.  After  this  he 
got  out  an  old  blanket,  and  he  and  Ralph  placed 
the  wounded  fellow  on  this.  Before,  the  red  man's 
face  had  had  a  scowl  on  it,  but  now  it  became 
more  friendly. 

"White  boys  heap  good,"  he  grunted.  "Big 
Foot  no  forget  dem,"  and  he  nodded  his  head 
suggestively.  He  had  been  shot  in  the  leg,  and 
was  suffering  from  loss  of  blood. 

"  Tell  me  who  robbed  the  cabin,"  said  Dan,  for 


84  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

he  felt  that  Big  Foot  had  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it. 

The  Indian  knit  his  brow  in  speculation. 

"  White  boy  ask  Big  Foot  hard  question,"  he 
said,  presently. 

"  But  you  must  know." 

"Big  Foot  t'ink  know,  not  sure.  Big  Foot 
crawl  in  here  out  of  hot  sun.  He  half  dead. 
Udder  man  come,  rob  place  while  Big  Foot  half 
dead." 

"  Well,  who  do  you  imagine  the  other  man  was  ? 
It  couldn't  have  been  one  of  your  tribe." 

"  I  t'ink  him  half  my  tribe.  I  t'ink  him  'Meri- 
can-Indian,  um  Hank  Stiger." 

"  Hank  Stiger  !  "  cried  Dan.  "  Father,  did  you 
hear  that  ?  " 

"What  is  it,  Dan?" 

"  This  Indian  was  half  in  a  faint  when  the  cabin 
was  robbed,  but  he  thinks  the  thief  was  Hank 
Stiger." 

"  That  is  not  improbable,  for  Stiger  was  around 
this  vicinity  and  did  not  fight  with  the  Comanches. 
He  could  easily  have  come  in  after  we  went  off  on 
the  trail.     When  was  the  robbery  committed  ?  " 

"  Him  come  in  at  the  last  sundown,"  answered 
Big  Foot,  meaning  the  evening  before. 

"Alone?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  which  way  did  he  go  ? " 


BIG  FOOT  AND    THE  MISSING  PAPERS.      85 

The  wounded  red  man  could  not  answer  this 
query,  and  he  now  became  so  exhausted  that  the 
others  questioned  him  no  further. 

The  fire  was  started  up,  and  a  generous  meal 
for  all  hands  was  prepared,  of  which  the  Indian 
was  given  all  that  was  good  for  him.  Then  the 
red  man  went  to  sleep,  while  the  Radburys  began 
to  mend  the  battered  door  and  put  things  into 
shape  generally.  Poke  Stover  went  off  to  the 
timber,  to  find  out  what  had  become  of  Ralph's 
deer,  and  to  see  if  any  of  the  enemy  were  still 
lurking  in  the  vicinity. 

It  was  learned  by  nightfall  that  no  Indians  were 
around  for  miles,  and  this  made  the  Radburys 
breathe  much  more  easily.  Strange  to  say,  Stover 
had  found  the  deer  just  where  Mr.  Radbury  had 
left  it,  and  now  brought  it  in. 

"A  good  shot,  lad,"  said  the  old  frontiersman  to 
Ralph.     "No  one  could  have  made  a  better." 

"  Yes,  it  was  a  good  shot,"  answered  the  boy. 
"  I'm  afraid  I'll  not  be  able  to  do  as  well  every 
time." 

"You  mustn't  expect  it.  If  you  could  do  as 
well  every  time  you'd  be  as  fine  a  shot  as  Davy 
Crockett  himself." 

"  They  tell  me  Crockett  thinks  of  coming  down 
to  Texas,"  put  in  Mr.  Radbury.  "They  say  he  is 
tired  of  things  up  in  Tennessee." 

"Yes,   I  heard  he  was  coming  down,"  replied 


86  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Poke  Stover.  "  Well,  he's  a  wonderful  old  fighter, 
and  if  we  have  any  trouble  with  the  Mexicans  ye 
can  reckon  on  it  as  how  he'll  be  to  the  front  from 
the  very  start."  How  true  was  the  old  frontiers- 
man's prediction  the  future  chapters  of  our  tale 
will  show. 

They  hardly  knew  what  to  do  with  the  Indian. 
Stover  wished  to  turn  him  out  to  shift  for  himself, 
but  the  boys  pleaded  for  the  wounded  red  man, 
and  in  the  end  he  was  allowed  to  remain  where 
he  was.  The  Radburys  retired  to  their  sleeping- 
apartment,  while  Stover  made  himself  comfortable 
in  front  of  the  big  open  fireplace.  All,  however, 
slept,  as  the  saying  goes,  "with  one  eye  open." 

The  next  week  was  a  busy  one.  It  was  found 
that  not  only  had  the  Indians  attacked  the  cabin, 
but  they  had  also  tried  to  wreck  the  cattle  shed, 
and  both  structures  had  to  be  mended  and  put 
into  order.  During  the  absence  of  the  settlers 
some  of  the  cattle  and  the  mustangs  had  strayed 
away  to  other  ranges,  and  these  had  to  be  rounded 
up,  for  in  those  days  men  of  limited  means,  like 
Mr.  Radbury,  did  not  allow  their  live  stock  to 
wander  far  away,  to  be  rounded  up  once  or  twice 
a  year.  If  they  had  allowed  this,  cattle  and  ponies 
might  have  gotten  into  the  Indian  country  and 
never  been  heard  of  again. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  Poke  Stover  left,  stat- 
ing that   he   was   going   to  make  a   trip  to  San 


BIG  FOOT  AND    THE  MISSING  PAPERS.      Zj 

Antonio  de  Bexar,  to  learn  how  matters  were  going 
politically. 

"There  may  be  a  scrap  on  already,"  he  re- 
marked, "and,  if  so,  I  don't  want  to  be  sitting 
here,  sucking  my  thumbs." 

"I  admire  your  sentiment,"  replied  Mr.  Rad- 
bury.  "  If  there  is  trouble,  can  I  rely  upon  you 
to  give  me  warning  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Poke  Stover. 

He  left  on  Saturday  morning,  and  on  Sunday 
Big  Foot  sat  up  for  the  first  time.  The  Radburys 
had  done  their  best  for  him,  and  for  this  he  was 
extremely  grateful. 

"  Big  Foot  pay  back  some  day,"  he  said.  "  Pay 
back  sure."  The  boys  hardly  gave  attention  to 
these  words,  but  had  good  cause  to  remember  them 
later. 

During  the  next  few  months  matters  ran 
smoothly,  until  one  day  when  some  of  the  set- 
tlers from  Gonzales  came  in.  They  reported 
another  Indian  uprising  farther  eastward,  and  de- 
clared that  the  local  government  was  doing  nothing 
to  check  the  red  men. 

"  We  must  take  the  law  into  our  own  hands, 
neighbour  ^adbury,"  said  one,  who  lived  a  mat- 
ter of  thirty  miles  away,  yet  considered  himself 
a  fairly  close  neighbour.  "  The  Mexicans  don't 
care  a  rap  for  us,  and  I  reckon  they'd  just  as 
lief  see  the  Injuns  ride  over  us  as  not." 


88  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  I  trust  Santa  Anna  does  the  right  thing  by 
us,"  answered  Mr.  Radbury. 

"I  wouldn't  trust  any  of  'em." 

"Well,  if  they  don't  do  right,  they  had  better 
look  out  for  Sam  Houston,  or  he'll  be  on  their 
heels." 

"Yes,  I've  great  faith  in  Houston,"  was  the 
other  settler's  answer.  "  He's  a  lawyer  and  a 
fighter,  and  I  reckon  he  can  whip  'em  both  in 
the  court-room  or  on  the  battle-field." 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE    SITUATION    IN    MEXICO. 

In  his  conversation  with  his  neighbour,  Mr. 
Radbury  had  mentioned  Santa  Anna,  and  it  may 
be  as  well  to  look  for  a  moment  at  this  remarkable 
personage,  who  at  that  time,  and  for  several  years 
to  follow,  was  the  most  important  man  in  Mexico. 

Antonio  Lopez  de  Santa  Anna  was  born  in 
Jalapa,  in  1795,  and  entered  the  army  at  an  early 
age.  With  Iturbide  he  joined  in  the  revolution 
and  came  out  a  brigadier-general,  and  was  made 
commandant  of  Vera  Cruz.  A  few  years  later 
he  organised  a  revolt  and  overthrew  the  man  he 
had  aided,  and  in  1828  he  deposed  Pedraza  and 
put  Guerrero  in  his  place. 

So  much  of  war  would  have  satisfied  any  ordi- 
nary man,  but  it  did  not  satisfy  General  Santa 
Anna,  who  was  cruel  and  cunning  to  the  last 
degree,  and  prided  himself  on  being  "The  Napo- 
leon of  the  West,"  as  he  styled  himself.  He 
wanted  Mexico  for  his  own,  and  in  1829  he  de- 
feated a  large  division  of  the  Spanish  army,  that 

89 


90  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

had  landed  at  Tampico  for  the  purpose  of  recon- 
quering the  country. 

Having  saved  the  Confederation,  as  he  put  it, 
Santa  Anna  considered  that  he  had  more  of  a  right 
to  Mexico  than  ever,  and  in  1832  he  got  into  a 
wrangle  with  Bustamente,  who  was  then  occupying 
the  Mexican  presidential  chair,  with  the  result  that 
Bustamente  was  banished  by  Santa  Anna's  fol- 
lowers, who  forthwith  made  the  general  president. 
At  this  Santa  Anna  went  still  further  by  dissolving 
the  Mexican  congress,  which  action  made  him  vir- 
tually a  dictator.  How  it  was  that  the  Mexicans 
at  large  stood  such  treatment  is  one  of  the  political 
mysteries  of  the  age  that  has  never  been  explained. 

Yet  Santa  Anna's  dictatorship,  if  such  it  may 
be  called,  was  a  position  full  of  peril.  There  was 
constant  wrangling  in  nearly  every  state  of  the 
Confederation,  and  in  a  number  of  places  there 
were  actual  outbreaks,  which  might  have  resulted 
seriously  had  Santa  Anna  not  nipped  them  promptly 
in  the  bud.  Stephen  Austin  had  gone  to  Mexico 
to  further  the  interests  of  the  Texan  s,  and  been 
there  imprisoned  for  political  reasons.  This  helped 
along  the  war  between  Texas  and  Mexico,  which 
was  bound  to  burst  sooner  or  later. 

The  first  dark  cloud  came  in  the  passage  of  a 
decree  reducing  the  number  of  the  militia  to  one 
man  for  every  five  hundred  inhabitants,  and  re- 
quiring all  the  remaining  armed  persons  to  give  up 


THE  SITUATION  IN  MEXICO.  9 1 

their  weapons.  The  Texans  refused  to  submit, 
stating  that  they  needed  all  the  protection  they 
could  get,  on  account  of  the  Indians  and  because 
of  the  desperadoes  who  flocked  into  the  territory. 
In  the  meantime  Mexico  had  sent  many  of  her 
jailbirds  to  settle  in  Texas. 

While  this  was  going  on,  during  the  summer  of 
1835,  Austin  returned  from  his  imprisonment  in 
Mexico,  and  was  given  a  grand  public  banquet  at 
Brazoria.  In  his  speech  there  he  counselled  mod- 
eration, but  declared  that  the  civil  government  was 
going  to  pieces,  and  that  the  Texans  must  take 
care  of  themselves.  He  still  believed  in  Santa 
Anna  and  his  golden  promises,  hoping  against 
hope  for  a  peaceful  change  for  the  better. 

At  San  Antonio  were  stationed  five  hundred 
Mexican  soldiers,  under  Colonel  Ugartchea,  and, 
according  to  orders,  this  command  commenced  to 
disarm  such  of  the  Texans  as  had  failed  to  comply 
with  the  decree  regarding  firearms.  At  Gonzales, 
fifty  miles  to  the  eastward,  the  settlers  had  a  four- 
pounder,  a  brass  cannon  given  to  them  by  the 
government  for  protection  against  the  Indians. 

"The  people  of  Gonzales  must  give  up  the 
cannon,"  said  Colonel  Ugartchea.  "Tell  them  to 
send  it  to  Bexar  without  delay." 

"We  need  the  cannon,"  said  the  people  of 
Gonzales.  "  It's  the  only  cannon  we  have  along 
the  whole  river  front." 


92  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  Santa  Anna's  orders  must  be  obeyed,"  was 
the  Mexican  colonel's  comment,  and  he  despatched 
a  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dragoons,  under 
Captain  Castinado,  to  take  the  cannon  by  force. 
The  Mexican  soldiers  arrived  at  the  river  on  Sep- 
tember 28th.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream 
was  Gonzales,  but  the  ferry-boat  was  on  that  side, 
too. 

The  Mexican  commander  waved  for  the  boat, 
but  no  attention  was  paid  to  his  movement.  Then 
a  horn  was  blown,  but  still  the  Texans  paid  no 
attention. 

"  We  will  march  to  the  ford,"  cried  the  Mexican 
captain,  and  the  dragoons  started.  But  on  reach- 
ing the  ford,  half  a  mile  below  the  town,  they 
found  themselves  confronted  by  Captain  Albert 
Martin,  a  merchant  of  the  place,  backed  up  by 
several  dozens  of  determined-looking  Texans. 

The  alarm  had  now  gone  forth,  and  express 
riders  rode  their  steeds  almost  to  death  to  summon 
the  people  of  Bastrop,  Victoria,  and  other  places. 
Soon  the  settlers  began  to  flock  in,  all  on  horse- 
back and  armed,  ready  to  do  or  die  for  Texas,  as 
the  case  might  be.  With  the  number  were  Mr. 
Radbury  and  Dan.  Dan  had  been  to  Gonzales  to 
buy  some  household  stores,  and  his  father,  hearing 
of  the  uprising,  had  hastened  down  the  river  to 
find  his  son  and  see  that  no  harm  befell  him.  This 
had  left  Ralph  home  alone,  saving  for  the  company 


THE  SITUATION  IN  MEXICO.  93 

of  Pompey  Shuck,  a  negro,  who  had,  during  the 
summer,  followed  Mr.  Radbury  from  the  old  home 
in  Georgia  and  insisted  that  he  be  taken  in  and 
set  to  work,  "jess  as  on  de  ole  plantation,  Mars' 
Radbury."  Big  Foot,  the  Indian,  had  departed 
some  time  before  Pompey's  arrival. 

"  This  looks  like  a  fight,  father,"  observed 
Dan,  as  his  parent  joined  him  on  the  bank  of 
the  stream,  where  Dan  had  gone,  following 
Captain  Martin. 

"  It  certainly  looks  like  trouble,"  answered  Mr. 
Radbury,  as  he  gazed  at  the  Mexican  dragoons 
with  anxiety.  "That  cannon  may  be  responsible 
for  a  whole  lot  of  bloodshed." 

"  Well,  they  haven't  any  right  to  disarm  us," 
returned  the  youth,  determinedly.  "You'll  fight 
first,  won't  you  ? " 

"  Perhaps  I  will ;  it  will  depend  upon  circum- 
stances," was  the  non-committal  reply.  Amos 
Radbury  was  no  "fire-eater,"  and,  like  Austin, 
preferred  a  settlement  without  a  passage  at  arms. 

At  the  ford  the  Mexican  commander  had  ridden 
into  the  water  to  consult  with  the  leader  of  the 
Texans. 

"  I  am  sent  here  to  obtain  the  cannon  you  are 
holding,"  he  said.  "  There  is  my  order,"  and  he 
held  it  out. 

"  We  don't  dispute  the  order,  captain,"  was  the 
reply.     "But  we  consider  it  unjust  to  ask  us  to 


94  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

give  up  a  piece  that  we  may  need  against  the 
Indians." 

"If  you  will  give  up  the  cannon  you  will  be 
protected." 

"We  haven't  been  protected  for  a  long  while. 
We  have  had  to  protect  ourselves." 

"  You  are  thinking  of  using  that  cannon  against 
the  government,"  was  the  angry  remark  of  the 
Mexican  commander. 

"  We  are  not  thinking  of  doing  so, —  but  it  may 
be  we  will  be  forced  to  do  so,"  was  the  significant 
reply. 

"I  am  coming  over,  and  I  demand  the  cannon," 
went  on  the  Mexican  leader,  pompously. 

"  If  you  dare  to  come  over,  it  will  be  at  the  peril 
of  your  life,"  was  the  calm  return. 

The  Mexican  commander  continued  to  bluster 
and  threaten,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  and  at  length 
he  withdrew  his  force  from  the  ford,  and  went  into 
temporary  camp  in  a  valley  opposite  to  Gonzales. 

It  was  now  night,  and  the  town  was  at  a  white 
heat.  Meetings  were  held  in  half  a  dozen  places, 
and  while  some  counselled  delay  others  were  for 
forcing  the  fighting.  In  the  end,  however,  it  was 
decided  to  wait,  and  in  the  meantime  pickets  were 
sent  out  to  watch  the  Mexicans  so  that  they  might 
not  enter  Gonzales  by  stealth. 

"  I  wonder  if  they  will  come  over  to-night,"  said 
Dan,  as  he  and  his  father  picked  their  way  along 


THE   SITUATION  IN  MEXICO.  95 

the  river  to  where  forty  or  fifty  horsemen  who 
owned  ranches  in  the  vicinity  had  pitched  their 
headquarters,  the  taverns  in  the  town  being  already 
overcrowded. 

"  I  doubt  it,  Dan.  We  have  fully  as  many  men, 
if  not  more,  and  a  Mexican  soldier  never  loves  to 
fight  in  the  dark." 

"  Perhaps  the  Mexican  captain  has  sent  back  for 
reinforcements." 

"  That  may  be.  Well,  all  we  can  do  is  to  watch 
and  be  on  guard." 

By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Radbury  was  as 
anxious  as  any  one  to  keep  the  cannon.  He  had  re- 
fused to  give  up  any  of  his  firearms,  and  had  buried 
two  of  his  pistols  under  the  floor  of  the  cabin  home. 

The  night  wore  away  without  any  alarm  sound- 
ing, and  the  next  day  the  Mexican  commander  sent 
another  demand  for  the  cannon,  and  on  the  day 
following  he  asked  that  a  time  be  set  for  a  general 
conference  regarding  the  now  precious  bit  of 
property. 

The  conference  was  refused,  and  instead  he  was 
asked  to  vacate  his  position  so  close  to  Gonzales. 
This  he  would  not  do,  and  all  of  the  settlers  now 
agreed  that  he  was  awaiting  reinforcements  from 
Bexar. 

"  He  will  wait  for  Colonel  Ugartchea  to  come 
up  with  the  balance  of  the  command,  and  then 
wipe  us  out  altogether,"  said  one. 


96  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  Or  perhaps  he  is  waiting  for  Cos  to  come  up," 
said  another.  It  was  known  that  the  Mexican 
general,  Cos,  was  on  the  march  for  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar  with  six  hundred  additional  troops  for 
the  garrison  of  that  city. 

The  morning  of  the  first  of  October  came  foggy 
and  disagreeable.  But  little  could  be  seen  beyond 
the  river  bank,  and  it  was  not  known  if  the  Mexi- 
can command  was  advancing,  retreating,  or  stand- 
ing still.  Again  the  leaders  of  the  Texans  met, 
and  it  was  unanimously  decided  not  to  delay  action 
longer,  but  if  the  Mexicans  were  still  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  stream  to  compel  them  to  move 
away  before  their  force  could  be  increased.  Vol- 
unteers were  called  for  to  cross  the  river  with  the 
brass  cannon  and  begin  an  attack,  and  a  hundred 
and  sixty  Texans  rode  to  the  front  for  that  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Radbury  was  too  loyal-hearted  a  man 
to  hang  back,  and  as  Dan  begged  very  hard  to  go 
too,  he  was  permitted  to  join  half  a  dozen  young 
men  who  brought  up  the  rear. 


CHAPTER   XL 

THE    OPENING    OF    THE    WAR. 

To  get  so  many  men  across  the  river  by  boat 
would  have  taxed  the  resources  of  Gonzales  to  the 
utmost,  so  the  majority  of  the  Texans  went  around 
by  way  of  the  ford,  only  a  few  going  over  in  the 
ferry  with  the  four-pounder. 

The  trip  was  made  during  the  night  of  October 
first,  and  every  man  was  cautioned  to  be  as  silent 
as  possible. 

"We'll  give  them  a  surprise,"  said  Dan  to  one 
of  the  young  men,  a  ranchero  named  Henry  Parker. 
He  had  known  Henry  Parker  for  over  a  year,  and 
the  two  were  warm  friends. 

"Or  get  a  surprise,"  was  the  answer.  "They 
may  be  watching  us  just  as  hard  as  we  are  watch- 
ing them." 

"  Pooh  !     I  am  not  afraid  of  a  greaser !  " 

"Neither  am  I.     But  it  will  pay  to  be  careful." 

They  had  passed  the  ford,  and  now  in  the  utter 
darkness  the  little  band  made  its  way  through  the 
brush  toward  the  spot  where  the  Mexican  com- 
97 


98  FOR  THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

mand  had  been  in  camp  before  the  fog  settled 
down. 

Coming  closer,  the  Texans  were  spread  out  in  a 
sort  of  skirmish  line,  with  the  four-pounder  in  the 
centre.  Dan  and  his  friend  were  on  the  extreme 
right,  down  by  the  water's  edge. 

Here  there  was  more  than  one  little  inlet  to 
cross,  and  while  Dan's  horse  was  picking  his  steps 
the  youth  fancied  he  detected  a  sudden  movement 
among  the  bushes  overhanging  the  water's  edge. 

"  Hold  on,"  he  cried  to  Henry  Parker.  "  Some- 
thing is  in  that  bush." 

"  Man  or  beast  ? "  whispered  Henry,  and  placed 
his  hand  to  the  trigger  of  his  gun. 

"  I  can't  say.     Wait  till  I  investigate." 

Leaving  his  mustang  in  his  friend's  care,  Dan 
leaped  to  the  ground  and  ran  close  to  the  bushes. 
As  he  did  this,  he  stumbled  into  a  hole  and  fell. 
He  picked  himself  up,  and  while  doing  so  heard  a 
splash  and  saw  some  dark  object  disappear  beneath 
the  river's  surface. 

"  Come  here !  Something  is  up  !  "  he  called  to 
Henry,  and  at  once  his  friend  complied,  and  both 
ran  down  to  the  water's  edge  and  strained  their 
eyes  to  pierce  the  gloom  and  the  fog. 

"  What  did  you  see  ?  " 

"  Something  slipped  into  the  water,  and  I  am 
half  of  the  opinion  it  was  a  man." 

"  Then  it  must  have  been  a  Mexican  !  " 


HOLD     ON  !  '     HE     CRIED     TO     HENRY     PARKER. 
THING    IS    IN    THAT    BUSH  !  '  " 


THE    OPENING   OF   THE    WAR.  99 

"  To  be  sure.  Stay  here  and  watch,  and  I'll  go 
down  the  stream  a  bit.  He  ought  to  come  up 
soon." 

Dan  had  hardly  spoken  when  he  espied  a  head 
coming  up  but  thirty  or  forty  feet  away.  It  was 
the  head  of  a  Mexican  soldier,  evidently  a  spy. 

"  Halt  there  !  "  cried  Dan.  "  Come  back  here, 
or  I'll  fire ! " 

It  is  doubtful  if  he  would  have  fired  on  the 
swimmer,  having  no  desire  to  open  the  war  in 
person,  but  his  threat  had  considerable  effect. 

"  No  shoota  me  !  "  cried  the  Mexican.  "  No 
shoota ! "  And  then  he  continued  to  talk  in 
Spanish,  which  Dan  and  his  friend  understood, 
but  imperfectly. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  back  here,"  went  on  the 
youth,  and  he  pointed  his  gun. 

At  this  the  Mexican  dove  out  of  sight,  not  to 
come  up  for  a  distance  of  a  rod  or  more. 

"  Shoot  him  —  you  have  the  right,"  urged  Henry. 
"  Or  else  I'll  do  it." 

"  Don't,  Henry,  it  might  be  murder.  Besides, 
we  were  ordered  not  to  discharge  any  firearms 
until  we  received  orders.  A  shot  down  here  would 
alarm  the  whole  Mexican  camp." 

"But  we  don't  want  that  rascal  to  escape, 
Dan." 

"  I  have  it."  Dan  looked  around  and  soon 
found  several   fair-sized  stones.     "  Come  back  at 


IOO  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

once !  "  he  ordered,  and,  taking  aim,  he  let  drive 
with  one  of  the  stones. 

Dan  had  always  been  good  at  that  sort  of  thing, 
and  the  stone  landed,  as  intended,  on  the  Mexican's 
back.  He  let  out  a  howl  of  pain,  so  loud  that 
several  Texans  at  once  rode  up  to  the  vicinity  to 
learn  what  was  the  matter. 

"Yes,  he's  got  to  come  ashore,"  declared  one  of 
the  men.  "  He  may  be  a  spy  who  has  been  over 
to  Gonzales,  and  carries  some  kind  of  a  message." 
He  raised  his  voice  in  Spanish.  "  Come  ashore,  or 
we'll  shoot  you  ;  do  you  hear  ? " 

"Si,  capitan  "  ("  Yes,  captain"),  was  the  answer, 
and  without  further  ado  the  Mexican  turned  and 
came  back  to  the  river  bank.  As  he  crawled  out, 
wet  and  muddy,  he  looked  the  picture  of  despair. 

"  It's  Pietro  the  gambler,  from  Bastrop,"  said 
one  of  the  Texans,  after  a  close  scrutiny.  "I'll 
wager  he  was  going  to  give  us  away  to  the 
greasers  in  camp." 

"No,  no,  me  watch  fight,  dat's  all,  senor,"  said 
the  Mexican,  who  was  noted  not  only  for  his  skill 
at  cards  but  also  for  his  skill  at  cheating.  "  Pietro 
fight  for  Texans  when  fight  't  all." 

"  That  don't  go  down,  you  card-sharp  !  "  cried  an- 
other of  the  men.  "  I  know  him  well,  and  he  would 
cheat  his  own  grandmother  if  he  could.  Let  us 
make  him  a  prisoner,  at  least  until  this  business 
we  are  on  is  over." 


THE   OPENING    OF   THE    WAR.  IOI 

So  it  was  agreed,  and  despite  the  gamblers' 
protests  he  was  bound  hands  and  feet  and  tied  up 
to  a  near-by  tree.  Had  he  not  been  captured,  the 
fight  so  close  at  hand  would  probably  not  have 
come  off. 

On  went  the  Texans,  until  a  point  was  gained 
overlooking  the  camping  spot  of  the  Mexicans. 
The  advance  guard  reported  that  Captain  Casti- 
nado  was  still  at  the  place  with  his  dragoons. 

"  Then  we'll  wait  until  daybreak  and  open  up 
on  them,"  said  the  Texans,  and  went  into  tempo- 
rary camp.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  of  the  number 
closed  his  eyes  for  the  balance  of  that  never-to-be- 
forgotten  night.  To  them  this  contest  was  to  be 
like  that  of  Concord  and  Lexington  to  the  patriots 
of  1775, — it  was  to  mark  the  dawn  of  Texan 
liberty. 

The  Mexicans  had  located  at  a  spot  called 
DeWitt's  mound ;  while  the  Texans  occupied  a 
position  farther  down  the  valley  and  close  to  the 
river.  As  soon  as  it  began  to  grow  light,  the  four- 
pounder  was  placed  in  position,  and  the  rough  but 
rugged  little  army  was  drawn  up  in  battle  array. 
Only  here  and  there  was  there  a  man  in  uniform, 
and  the  weapons  were  of  all  sorts  and  sizes. 
Leaders  and  privates  had  come  over,  some 
on  horseback,  some  on  ponies,  and  others  on 
foot. 

"  Give  it  to  them  !  "  came  the  sharp  order,  when 


102  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

it  was  light  enough  to  locate  the  Mexicans  with 
certainty,  and  the  brass  four-pounder  belched 
forth  its  contents,  and  the  battle  was  opened 
at  last. 

"  Forward ! "  was  the  cry  down  the  line,  and 
away  swept  the  Texans,  in  two  long  lines,  Mr. 
Radbury  well  to  the  front,  and  Dan  not  very  far 
behind. 

The  Mexicans  had  been  taken  completely  by 
surprise  and  for  the  moment  knew  not  what  to  do. 
But  they  quickly  organised  and  returned  the  fire, 
and  then  the  Texans  swept  closer,  and  the  con- 
stant crack,  crack,  of  the  musketry  could  be  heard 
upon  every  side. 

"  Gracious,  this  is  war,  sure !  "  cried  Dan,  as  he 
discharged  his  gun  and  proceeded  to  reload  with 
all  speed,  while  still  riding  forward.  "It  looks 
as  if  we  were  going  to  have  a  hand-to-hand  en- 
counter." 

"  Forward,  for  the  liberty  of  Texas  !  "  shouted 
one  of  the  leaders,  and  a  score  of  voices  took  up 
the  cry.  "  For  the  liberty  of  Texas !  For  the 
liberty  of  Texas ! "  It  was  a  battle-cry  fit  to 
inspire  any  body  of  men. 

The  Mexicans  could  not  withstand  such  an 
onslaught,  and,  having  fired  several  rounds,  they 
broke  and  began  to  retreat  before  the  Texans 
could  get  within  two  hundred  yards  of  them. 
Away  they  went    for   the   road   leading   to   San 


THE   OPENING   OF  THE    WAR.  103 

Antonio,  the  Texans  following  them  for  some  dis- 
tance and  then  giving  up  the  chase. 

The  first  fight  for  Texan  independence  had 
been  fought  and  won,  and  a  mighty  cheer  went  up, 
which  was  several  times  repeated.  It  was  found 
that  four  of  the  Mexicans  had  been  killed  and 
several  wounded,  while  the  Texans  had  suffered 
little  or  nothing. 

"  Father,  we  have  gained  the  day !  "  exclaimed 
Dan,  as  he  rode  up  to  his  parent.  Somehow,  he 
had  never  felt  so  proud  before  in  his  life. 

"Yes,  we  have  gained  the  day,"  answered  Mr. 
Radbury.  "  The  question  is,  what  next  ?  You 
may  be  sure  the  government  will  not  let  this  go 
by  unnoticed." 

"The  government!  What  government?"  put 
in  one  old  settler.  "I  acknowledge  no  govern- 
ment but  that  of  the  independent  State  of  Texas  !" 
And  a  cheer  went  up. 

"  Let  us  hope  it  will  be  so,  neighbour  Johnson," 
went  on  Mr.  Radbury.  "  But  what  if  Santa  Anna 
send  out  a  large  army  to  crush  us  ? " 

"  He  can't  do  it !  "  came  from  a  dozen  voices. 
"  Let  him  come,  and  we'll  show  him  what  real 
American  blood  and  backbone  can  do." 

"We  must  organise,  and  without  further  delay," 
said  one  of  the  leaders.  "  We  must  have  a  regu- 
larly formed  Texan  army  inside  of  thirty  days,  or 
else  we'll  have  to  pay  the  piper,  and  that  means 


104  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

with  Santa  Anna  that  we'll  either  get  a  dose  of 
lead  or  else  dance  on  nothing,"  meaning  they 
would  all  be  shot  or  hung.  This  may  seem  an 
extravagant  statement,  but  in  view  of  what  fol- 
lowed it  was  far  from  being  so. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE   MARCH   ON    SAN    ANTONIO. 

The  Mexicans  had  been  routed,  and  for  over  a 
week  matters  went  along  quietly  in  the  vicinity  of 
Gonzales ;  that  is,  there  was  no  further  righting. 
Meetings  there  were  without  number,  and  young 
and  old  began  to  drill  and  to  talk  of  nothing  but 
military  matters. 

"  Will  you  join  the  army,  father  ? "  asked  Dan, 
when,  two  days  after  the  fight,  he  and  his  parent 
returned  to  the  ranch  home. 

"I  do  not  see  how  I  can  avoid  it,"  answered 
Mr.  Radbury.  "  Many  of  the  neighbours  are 
going,  and  it  might  appear  cowardly  to  hang  back. 
Besides,  I  must  say  that,  after  long  thought,  I 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  nothing 
for  us  to  do  but  to  fight  for  our  rights." 

"  Hurrah  !  I  knew  you  would  say  that,"  cried 
Dan.  "  We  must  be  free  by  all  means,  and  then 
perhaps  some  day  we'll  become  joined  to  the 
United  States." 

"  That  is  for  after  consideration,"  smiled  Mr. 
105  x 


106  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Radbury,  but  the  thought  had  often  crossed  his 
own  mind. 

Ralph  and  the  negro  were  anxious  to  hear  the 
particulars  of  what  had  occurred,  and  the  boy- 
listened  to  his  brother's  tale  in  open-mouthed 
amazement. 

"  A  real  battle !  Oh,  Dan,  how  I  wish  I  had 
been  there ! " 

"  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  it  was  rather  one-sided. 
The  Mexicans  did  not  stand  up  in  front  of  us 
long." 

"  And  what  are  they  going  to  do  next  ?  " 

"  Nobody  knows.  But  there  will  be  war,  be- 
yond a  doubt." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  suppose  General  Santa  Anna  will 
be  as  mad  as  a  hornet  when  he  hears  of  the  affair. 
And  all  over  an  old  brass  cannon,  too ! "  And 
Ralph  gave  a  laugh. 

Matters  were  going  along  smoothly  at  the  ranch, 
for  Pompey  was  a  faithful  worker  and  had  dropped 
into  the  routine  without  an  effort.  Mr.  Radbury 
was  glad  that  he  had  come,  for  he  felt  that  he 
wanted  a  man  around,  in  case  the  coming  war 
carried  him  a  distance  from  home. 

As  intimated,  the  fight  at  Gonzales  became  the 
talk  of  all  Texas,  and,  the  day  after  the  contest, 
the  committee  organised  at  San  Felipe  issued  a 
statement  and  called  upon  each  man  in  Texas  to 
decide  for  himself  whether  or  not  he  would  submit 


THE  MARCH  ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  107 

to  the  destruction  of  his  rights  and  liberties  by  the 
central  government  of  Mexico,  and  stating  that 
the  war  had  begun. 

While  meetings  were  going  on  in  a  dozen  places 
or  more,  and  frontiersmen  and  settlers  were  hurry- 
ing to  the  scene  of  action,  a  force  of  about  forty 
men,  under  the  leadership  of  Captain  Collingsworth, 
gathered  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  Goliad,  a 
small  town  on  the  lower  San  Antonio  River. 
The  river  was  gained  on  the  night  of  October  9th, 
and  while  scouts  were  out  reconnoitring,  the 
brave  little  band  was  joined  by  Colonel  Ben 
Milam,  an  old  Texan  empresario,  who  had  been 
confined  for  political  reasons  in  the  jail  at  Mon- 
terey. Of  this  gallant  man  we  will  hear  more 
later. 

Finding  the  coast  clear,  the  band  entered  the 
town,  and  silently  made  their  way  to  the  quarters 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Sandoval,  the  commandant. 
They  were  less  than  a  hundred  feet  from  the 
garrison  when  a  sentry  discovered  them  and  gave 
the  alarm.  The  sentry  was  shot  down  on  the  spot, 
and  then  the  door  was  splintered  to  kindling-wood 
with  axes,  and  the  Texans  poured  into  the  build- 
ing, and  the  commandant  was  made  a  prisoner. 
There  was  great  surprise  for  several  minutes,  but 
the  Mexican  soldiers  had  been  taken  off  their 
guard,  and  could  offer  little  resistance.  Twenty- 
five  were  captured,  and  the  rest  escaped  in  the 


108  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

darkness.  By  this  quick  movement  the  Texans 
gained  a  quantity  of  valuable  army  stores,  horses, 
three  pieces  of  artillery,  and  five  hundred  guns 
and  pistols. 

As  Gonzales  had  been  the  starting-point  of  the 
war,  it  now  became  the  general  centre  for  the 
gathering  Texan  army,  and  by  the  middle  of 
October  there  were  gathered  there  between  three 
and  four  hundred  men  who  were  willing  and 
anxious  to  serve  their  country.  By  common 
consent  Austin  was  appointed  chief  in  command, 
with  the  title  of  general.  The  volunteers,  as  they 
were  called,  were  formed  into  a  regiment,  with 
John  H.  Moore  as  colonel.  Old  Colonel  Milam, 
who  had  just  arrived  from  Goliad,  was  made  chief 
of  a  band  of  scouts, —  men  who  did  valiant  ser- 
vice from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  war. 

It  was  to  this  regiment  that  Mr.  Radbury  be- 
came attached,  and  Dan  and  Ralph  rode  down  to 
Gonzales  to  see  their  parent  join.  As  Mr.  Rad- 
bury was  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812,  he  was 
given  the  position  of  a  lieutenant.  Drilling  went 
on  constantly,  and  the  little  regiment  was  gotten 
into  the  best  condition  that  the  means  at  hand 
afforded.  In  the  meantime  other  volunteers 
poured   in  daily. 

At  first  the  Texans  had  thought  to  act  only  on 
the  defensive,  but,  as  the  days  slipped  by,  the  war 
spirit   grew  on   the    settlers,  and  they  said  they 


THE  MARCH  ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  I0O, 

wanted  the  thing  "  over  and  done  with,"  that  they 
might  return  to  their  homes  and  prepare  for  the 
winter.  It  was  then  decided  to  march  toward  San 
Antonio,  to  see  if  the  Mexicans  would  come  out  of 
the  stronghold  to  do  them  battle. 

"Good-bye,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Radbury,  when  the 
order  was  passed  around  to  prepare  for  the  march. 
"  It  may  be  some  time  before  I  see  you  again." 

"  I  wish  I  could  go,"  answered  Dan,  pleadingly. 

"  Your  time  may  come,  Dan.  But  for  the  pres- 
ent I  think  we  have  enough  men  for  this  expedi- 
tion. I  think  you  and  Ralph  will  have  enough  to 
do  around  the  ranch,  with  me  absent." 

"  But  if  I  hear  you  are  in  trouble,  father,  I  shall 
come  on  at  once,"  went  on  Dan,  and  from  this 
decision  his  parent  could  not  dissuade  him. 

The  troops  were  soon  on  the  way,  Dan  and 
Ralph  riding  several  miles  with  their  parent. 
Then,  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  they  separated.  But 
the  boys  remained  on  the  hill  until  the  soldiers 
were  lost  to  sight  in  the  distance  on  the  dusty 
plain  below. 

"  Good-bye,  and  may  success  go  with  them ! " 
cried  Ralph,  half  sadly.  "  I  do  hope  father  comes 
back  safe  and  sound." 

"  If  he  doesn't,  I  shall  take  his  place  in  the 
ranks,"  replied  Dan,  quickly.  "  But  come,  we 
must  be  getting  home  now,  or  Pompey  will  be 
anxious  about  us." 


IIO  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  Here  comes  a  horseman,  riding  like  the  wind," 
came  from  the  younger  Radbury,  a  moment  later. 
"  I  declare,  it's  Poke  Stover  !  " 

"  Hullo,  boys  ! "  cried  the  old  frontiersman,  as 
he  came  up.     "  What  are  ye  a-doin'  here  ? " 

"  We  just  saw  the  troops  off  for  San  Antonio," 
answered  Dan. 

"  Gone  this  way  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"When?" 

"An  hour  ago.  See  that  black  line  over 
yonder  ?     That's  our  army." 

"  Whoopee !  I  was  afraid  I'd  be  too  late.  Good- 
bye. We  are  bound  to  bring  them  greasers  to 
terms  this  trip  !  "  And,  with  a  wave  of  his  som- 
brero, Poke  Stover  rode  off  as  rapidly  as  he  had 
come. 

"  He'll  be  a  whole  company  in  himself,"  was 
Ralph's  comment.  "  He  doesn't  think  any  more 
of  a  Mexican  soldier  than  he  does  of  a  fly,  to 
bother  him." 

They  were  soon  on  the  way  to  Gonzales,  where 
they  loaded  their  ponies  with  stores  for  the  ranch. 
This  accomplished,  they  set  on  up  the  river,  hop- 
ing to  reach  the  ranch  home  by  night. 

In  those  days  the  banks  of  the  Guadalupe 
River  were  altogether  different  from  to-day. 
Where  numerous  settlements  now  exist  were 
then   immense   belts   of    timber,   with   here   and 


THE  MARCH  ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  Ill 

there  a  burn,  or  a  stretch  of  thorns  and  entan- 
gling vines.  In  some  spots  the  banks  were  steep 
and  rocky  as  to-day,  and  these  rocks  were  the 
homes  of  numerous  wild  animals,  including  the 
fierce  Texan  wolf,  the  puma,  the  jaguar,  the  wild- 
cat, and  the  black  bear.  The  stream  was  full  of 
fish,  the  best  of  which  was  the  black  bass,  which, 
I  believe,  still  holds  its  own  in  many  Texan  waters. 

As  the  boys  passed  along  the  narrow  wagon 
trail,  which  their  father  and  other  pioneers  had 
blazed  for  themselves,  they  kept  their  eyes  on 
the  alert  for  any  wild  beasts  that  might  appear, 
having  no  desire  to  let  a  fierce  and  hungry  wolf 
pounce  down  suddenly  upon  themselves  or  their 
steeds,  or  a  black  bear  stalk  out  to  embrace  them. 
Their  packs  lay  behind  them,  and  they  held  their 
guns  on  the  saddle  in  front. 

They  were  thus  passing  through  the  largest  of 
the  timber  belts  when  the  howl  of  a  wolf  reached 
their  ears.  It  was  immediately  answered  by  a 
similar  howl  from  another  wolf.  Both  came  from 
directly  in  front. 

"  Hullo  !  a  wolf  —  two  wolves  !  "  cried  Ralph,  as 
he  brought  his  pony  to  a  halt.  "  I  don't  like  that 
much." 

"  Is  your  gun  all  right  ?  "  came  quickly  from  his 
brother. 

"Yes." 

The  two  lads  remained  motionless  in  the  saddle 


112  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

for  several  minutes,  listening.  No  other  howl 
reached  their  ears,  and  the  only  sounds  were 
that  of  the  rushing  stream  as  it  tumbled  over 
some  rocks,  and  the  cries  of  the  night  birds  and 
the  humming  of  the  insects. 

"  Let  us  set  up  a  yell,"  suggested  Dan.  "That 
may  scare  them  off." 

They  called  out  at  the  top  of  their  lungs  several 
times.  One  distant  howl  answered  them,  then  all 
became  as  silent  as  before. 

"  We  may  as  well  go  on,"  said  the  older  brother. 
"We'll  be  as  safe  moving  as  standing  still.  But 
keep  your  eyes  peeled,  Ralph." 

They  moved  on  slowly,  with  eyes  turned  to  the 
right  and  the  left,  and  keeping  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  brushwood  and  the  low-hanging  boughs 
of  the  trees.  The  mustangs  seemed  to  realise 
that  all  was  not  right,  and  pricked  up  their  ears 
and  smelled  the  air. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    FIGHT    WITH    A    PUMA. 

"  By  George  !     Something  is  wrong  now ! " 

It  was  Dan  who  uttered  the  words,  as  he  again 
drew  rein,  followed  by  Ralph.  They  had  passed 
along  a  distance  of  less  than  quarter  of  a  mile,  and 
the  end  of  the  forest  was  still  a  goodly  distance 
ahead. 

A  fierce  howling  had  arisen,  followed  by  a  snarl- 
ing and  a  snapping  which  caused  the  hearts  of  both 
boys  to  beat  violently.  The  mustangs  trembled, 
and  acted  as  if  they  wished  to  turn  and  run. 

"  It's  a  wildcat  or  a  painter,  or  something,  and 
he's  got  into  a  fight  with  the  wolves,"  continued 
Dan,  as  he  strained  his  ears  to  catch  the  sounds 
of  the  encounter.  "They  are  having  a  lively 
tussle,   aren't   they?" 

"  Let  them  fight  it  out,"  answered  Ralph,  with 
something  of  a  shudder.  "  I  hope  they  all  kill 
each   other,  too,"  he  added. 

The  howling  and  snapping  and  snarling  con- 
tinued for  several  minutes,  then  gradually  died 
away  in  the  distance.  Still  listening,  they  heard 
»3 


114  F0R    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

some  large  beast  trailing  through  the  brush  to  one 
side  of  them.  They  turned  in  the  direction,  and 
levelled  their  guns,  but  the  animal  did  not  show 
itself. 

Darkness  was  now  coming  on,  and  the  boys 
wished  themselves  safe  at  the  ranch.  It  was 
one  thing  to  ride  through  the  timber  in  the 
daylight ;  it  was  quite  another  to  do  so  at  night, 
and  especially  when  the  wild  animals  were  on 
the  move. 

"The  worst  of  it  is,  one  wild  beast  sets  the 
other  to  fighting,"  said  Dan. 

"And  it's  so  dark  a  fellow  can't  see  fifty  feet 
ahead  of  him." 

What  to  do  was  indeed  a  question,  but  neither 
of  the  lads  wished  to  remain  in  the  timber  all 
night,  and,  after  another  consultation,  they  decided 
to  rush  their  ponies  along  until  the  next  burn  was 
gained. 

"  If  we  go  fast  enough,  no  wild  animal  will  have 
time  to  organise  an  attack,"  said  Ralph. 

The  wind  was  coming  up,  setting  the  dying 
leaves  to  scattering  in  all  directions.  As  the  wind 
increased,  the  boughs  of  the  trees  swayed  violently 
over  their  heads. 

Suddenly  Dan,  who  was  ahead,  set  up  a  shrill 
cry  of  alarm.  He  had  seen  two  eyes  glaring 
down  at  him  from  the  branches  of  a  tree  he 
was    just    passing.     He   tried   to   pull    back   his 


A    FIGHT   WITH  A    PUMA.  115 

mustang,  and  on  the  same  instant  a  huge  puma, 
or,  as  he  is  commonly  called  in  the  southwest,  a 
painter,  landed  almost  directly  on  his  pony's  neck. 

The  attack  was  a  fierce  one,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  a  lucky  accident  either  Dan  or  his  steed  must 
have  been  killed  within  a  few  seconds,  for  the 
puma  is  a  heavy-built  and  powerful  beast,  and  its 
bite,  or  a  stroke  of  its  huge  paw,  is  generally 
meant   to    be   deadly. 

But,  as  mentioned  before,  Dan  held  his  gun  over 
his  saddle,  and  as  the  painter  came  down  the 
weapon  went  off,  and  the  beast  received  the  full 
charge  in  the  upper  part  of  his  left  shoulder. 
The  wound  did  not  kill  him,  or  even  seriously 
wound  him,  but  it  shocked  and  surprised  the 
beast  so  much  that  he  fell  back,  and  tumbled  to 
the  ground. 

"  Oh,  Dan,  look  out ! "  shrieked  Ralph,  and 
pulled  in  his  own  steed.  Then,  as  his  brother's 
mustang  reared  to  one  side,  and  the  puma  pre- 
pared to  make  a  second  leap,  he  endeavoured  to 
get  a  bead  on  the  beast. 

The  puma  had  struck  on  his  back.  Now  he 
had  turned  over  and  was  crouching  down,  like 
a  cat  getting  ready  to  pounce  upon  a  bird,  his 
bushy  tail  sweeping  the  grass  with  quick,  nervous 
motion. 

Bang !  Ralph's  gun  spoke  up  just  as  the 
painter  was  in  the  act  of  springing  for  Dan,  and 


Il6  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

the  shot  took  the  beast  in  the  stomach,  making  a 
jagged  and  ugly  wound.  Again  the  beast  dropped 
back,  uttering  a  mingled  snarl  of  rage  and  pain. 
The  snarl  was  exactly  like  that  the  boys  had 
previously  heard,  and  they  felt  that  this  must  be 
the  beast  that  had  gotten  into  the  fight  with  the 
wolves.  Probably  the  wolves  had  gotten  away 
from  him,  and  this  and  the  taste  of  their  blood 
had  angered  him  into  making  the  present  attack. 

Both  mustangs  were  now  kicking  and  plunging, 
and  the  boys  had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  their 
seats.  The  steeds  backed  away  from  the  wounded 
painter,  and  then  Dan's  mustang  started  to  bolt. 
His  course  was  under  a  tree  with  low  branches, 
and  in  a  second  the  youth  was  brushed  from  his 
back,  and  sent  spinning  to  the  ground. 

Half  stunned  by  his  fall,  Dan  had  yet  sense 
enough  left  to  know  that  he  must  get  away  at 
once  or  the  painter  would  be  on  him  to  rend 
him  to  pieces.  He  leaped  up,  and  as  the  fierce 
beast  came  on,  grabbed  the  nearest  tree  limb,  to 
which  he  clung  with  might  and  main. 

"  He's  coming !  "  roared  Ralph.  "  Pull  yourself 
up  !  "  And  he  started  to  reload  with  all  possible 
speed,  no  light  task  while  on  the  back  of  a  mustang 
that  was  so  nervous  and  inclined  to  bolt. 

Dan  was  doing  as  advised,  when  the  puma  limped 
up,  his  eyes  blazing  with  a  fury  which  is  indescrib- 
able.    He  did  his  best  to  make  the  leap,  and  his 


A   FIGHT   WITH  A   PUMA.  W] 

teeth  struck  one  of  Dan's  boot  heels.  But  the 
boy  kicked  him  away  and  drew  himself  still  higher, 
and  for  the  moment  was  safe. 

The  wounds  of  the  painter  were  now  beginning 
to  tell  upon  him,  and  he  could  scarcely  suppress  a 
whine  of  pain.  But  his  savage  nature  was  not  yet 
conquered,  and,  unable  to  leap  directly  into  the 
tree,  he  sprang  for  the  trunk  and  came  up,  slowly 
but  steadily.  When  he  was  opposite  to  where 
Dan  lay,  he  paused,  as  if  uncertain  what  should  be 
his  next  move. 

If  the  puma  was  undecided,  so  was  the  youth. 
If  he  leaped  to  the  ground  again  he  was  certain 
the  beast  would  follow  him,  and  he  had  no  desire 
to  face  the  painter  at  such  close  quarters,  espe- 
cially as  he  had  no  weapon  of  any  kind  with  him, 
unless  the  jack-knife  in  his  pocket  might  be 
brought  into  play. 

Ralph  settled  the  question,  both  for  his 
brother  and  the  puma.  As  the  mustang  refused 
to  come  closer,  the  youngest  Radbury  slipped  to 
the  earth  and  ran  up  directly  under  the  bough 
upon  which  Dan  rested.  At  this  point  he  could 
get  a  fair  view  of  the  painter,  and  once  more  he 
blazed  away,  aiming  for  the  beast's  neck  and  head. 

Ralph's  shot  was  all  that  could  be  wished  for, 
and  it  was  lucky  that,  having  fired,  he  leaped  back, 
for,  the  instant  after,  the  painter  came  tumbling 
down,   with  a  thud  that  fairly  shook  the  earth. 


Il8  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

The  shock  also  brought  down  Dan,  who  landed 
just  in  front  of  the  beast  and  lost  no  time  in 
retreating  to  his  brother's  side. 

"  Good  for  you,  Ralph  !  " 

"  Look  out,  he's  not  dead  yet ! "  answered 
Ralph.  "  See,  he  is  going  to  make  another 
leap !  " 

But  in  this  the  youngest  Radbury  was  mistaken. 
Fatally  wounded,  the  painter  was  merely  endeavour- 
ing to  get  up  on  his  legs,  that  he  might  crawl  into 
the  bushes.  He  stood  for  a  moment,  then  stum- 
bled and  fell  flat.  Twice  did  he  try  thus  to 
rise,  then  with  a  final  whining  growl  he  lay  out, 
stretched  himself,  and  gave  a  quiver  or  two  —  and 
all  was  over. 

"  He's  dead,"  said  Ralph,  when  he  could  collect 
himself  sufficiently  to  speak.  He  was  trembling 
like  a  leaf  in  a  gale  of  wind. 

"  Don't  be  too  sure,  —  they  are  as  tough  as  a 
pine-knot,"  answered  Dan.  "  Load  up  again," 
and  he  picked  up  his  own  gun,  which  had  fallen 
when  he  was  thrown  from  his  saddle. 

But  the  puma  was  dead,  beyond  a  doubt,  and 
they  gradually  drew  closer  to  inspect  the  beast 
they  had  brought  down.  He  was  at  least  four  feet 
long,  and  correspondingly  tall  and  heavy,  with  a 
powerful  tail  and  a  rather  small  head.  His  colour 
was  of  a  tawny  tint,  fading  out  to  a  dirty  white 
between  the  limbs.     The  tip  of  the  tail  was  black. 


A   FIGHT   WITH  A   PUMA.  119 

"  He's  a  big  fellow,"  remarked  Ralph.  "  I  wish 
we  could  get  that  skin  home.  It  would  make  a 
splendid  rug." 

"That's  true,  Ralph,  but  do  you  want  to  stay 
here  long  enough  to  skin  him  ? " 

"  No.  But  maybe  we  can  tie  him  up  in  the  tree 
and  come  back  for  him  to-morrow  or  next  day." 

This  was  decided  upon,  and  then  Dan  set  about 
catching  his  mustang.  The  pony  had  run  to  a 
considerable  distance,  but  he  knew  Dan's  whistle 
well,  and  after  this  was  repeated  several  times  he 
came  back  timidly,  although  he  would  not  go 
within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  dead  puma. 

Ralph  carried  a  lariat,  and  this  was  tied  to 
the  dead  beast  and  the  carcass  was  swung  to  the 
breeze,  so  that  the  other  beasts  of  prey  might  not 
get  at  it. 

"  Of  course  the  vultures  and  hawks  may  attack 
him,  but  that  can't  be  helped,"  said  Dan. 

The  work  finished,  they  lost  no  time  in  con- 
tinuing on  their  way,  riding  rapidly,  and  keeping 
their  eyes  and  ears  on  the  alert  as  before.  But 
nothing  else  happened  to  alarm  them,  and  shortly 
before  midnight  they  came  within  sight  of  the 
cabin. 

"  Home,  sweet  home  !  "  cried  Ralph.  "  I'll  tell 
you  I  am  glad  to  be  back." 

"  And  so  am  I,"  added  Dan.  "  No  more  fights 
with  a  painter  for  me." 


120  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Pompey  Shuck  had  heard  them  coming,  and  now 
ran  out  with  a  lantern  to  take  care  of  the  horses, 
just  as  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  for  his 
master  in  Georgia,  years  before. 

"  I'se  dun  glad  to  see  yo'  back,"  he  said,  with  a 
broad  smile  on  his  ebony  face.  "  Did  de  sodgers 
git  away  ? " 

"Yes,  they  are  off  for  San  Antonio,"  replied 
Dan.  And  then  he  told  of  the  adventure  in  the 
timber. 

"  A  painter !  "  gasped  Pompey.  "  I  declar'  to 
gracious,  Mars'  Dan,  yo'  an'  Mars'  Ralph  dun 
gittin'  to  be  reg'lar  hunters,  he !  he !  I'se  glad 
dat  beast  didn't  cotch  dis  chile  !  " 

"  I'm  not  anxious  to  hunt  any  more,  at  least  for 
the  present,"  said  Ralph,  soberly.  "I'll  go  back 
for  that  skin,  and  then  I'm  going  to  work  around 
the  ranch,  and  wait  for  news  from  father  and  the 
army." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE   BATTLE   OF    CONCEPCION. 

At  the  time  of  the  war  between  Texas  and  the 
government  of  Mexico,  San  Antonio  de  Bexar 
could  truthfully  be  said  to  be  a  city  of  importance 
gone  to  decay.  Many  of  the  churches,  convents, 
and  missions  were  deserted  and  fast  going  to  ruin. 
The  friars  had  returned  to  Mexico,  and  with  them 
had  gone  many  of  the  best  of  the  old  Spanish 
families,  although  here  and  there  some  Castilians 
remained,  to  keep  up  the  style  of  the  times  as  best 
they  could. 

All  told,  the  city  numbered  about  twenty-five 
hundred  inhabitants,  the  majority  of  whom  were 
Mexicans,  with  a  fair  sprinkling  of  American 
trappers  and  traders.  It  was  situated  mostly  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  river,  at  a  point  where  both 
banks  of  the  stream  were  lined  with  pecan  and 
other  trees.  There  were  two  large  public  squares, 
once  the  scene  of  much  gaiety,  but  now  overrun 
with  grass  and  weeds,  and  between  the  two  squares 
stood  the  grand  old  buildings  of  the  San  Fernando 
Church.     On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  about  half 


122  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

a  mile  from  the  city  proper,  stood  the  mission, 
with  its  church,  convent,  and  walled  courtyard, 
commonly  called  the  Alamo. 

General  Cos  had  now  arrived  at  San  Antonio 
with  six  hundred  Mexican  militia,  and  as  soon  as 
he  learned  that  the  Texan s  were  gathering  for 
another  contest,  he  sent  down  to  the  Rio  Grande 
for  additional  troops  and  extra  pieces  of  artillery. 
In  the  meantime,  the  troops  under  Austin  moved 
up  to  Salado  Creek,  four  miles  from  San  Antonio. 

The  time  was  a  momentous  one,  and,  arriving  at 
the  creek,  the  Texans  sent  forth  a  flag  with  a  mes- 
sage to  General  Cos,  demanding  the  surrender  of 
the  place. 

"  I  refuse  to  surrender,"  was  the  Mexican  com- 
mander's answer.  "  And  if  you  send  another  such 
flag  it  will  be  fired  upon."  This,  of  course, 
brought  negotiations  to  a  complete  standstill. 
Austin  waited  for  reinforcements,  and  the  Mexi- 
cans spent  the  time  in  barricading  the  highways 
leading  out  of  the  city  and  in  strengthening 
their  several  fortifications. 

"We  are  not  getting  along  very  fast,"  remarked 
Mr.  Radbury,  to  one  of  his  brother  officers,  while 
in  the  camp  at  Salado  Creek. 

"  I  believe  Sam  Houston  is  coming  on  to  take 
charge,"  was  the  answer.  "  He's  an  old  war-horse 
and  will  be  certain  to  lead  us  to  victory." 

Everybody  felt  that  under  Houston  the  Texan 


THE  BATTLE   OF  CONCEPCION.  1 23 

cause  could  not  fail.  But,  although  Houston  came 
up,  he  did  not  take  command,  declaring  that  the 
expedition  was  in  the  hands  of  Austin,  and  that 
he  was  needed  elsewhere. 

Several  days  passed,  with  much  anxiety  on  both 
sides,  and  then  Colonel  Bowie  and  Colonel  James 
W.  Fannin  were  ordered  to  take  a  band  of  scouts 
with  them  and  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  position, 
with  a  view  to  moving  the  Texan  army  still  closer 
to  San  Antonio. 

"We'll  do  it,"  said  both  officers,  without  hesita- 
tion, and  hurried  off,  taking  about  ninety  men  with 
them.  In  this  body  was  a  detachment  under  Mr. 
Radbury,  and  Poke  Stover  was  also  along. 

The  party  moved  along  slowly  and  cautiously 
through  the  clumps  of  trees  and  mesquite-bushes, 
until  some  time  during  the  afternoon,  when  they 
came  to  a  bend  in  the  river  known  as  the  Horse- 
shoe, where  was  located  the  Mission  Concepcion. 

"This  is  a  strong  position,"  said  Colonel  Bowie. 
"  The  river  and  timber  will  shelter  us  from  behind, 
and  in  front  is  the  bluff.     It's  an  ideal  place." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Colonel  Fannin.  "  General 
Austin  cannot  do  better  than  bring  the  army  here." 

The  orders  had  been  to  return,  if  possible,  before 
nightfall,  but  at  this  time  in  the  year  it  grew  dark 
rapidly,  and  it  was  decided  to  go  into  camp  for  the 
night ;  and  outposts  were  accordingly  stationed  in 
all  directions,  that  they  might  not  be  surprised. 


124  F0R    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

Although  the  Texans  were  not  aware  of  it,  the 
Mexican  scouts  had  been  watching  them  closely, 
and  no  sooner  did  the  party  go  into  camp  than  the 
enemy  resolved  to  surround  them  in  the  darkness, 
and  either  shoot  them  all  down,  or  take  them 
prisoners.  For  this  purpose  General  Cos  sent 
out  four  hundred  of  his  best  troops,  determined 
to  teach  the  Texans  a  lesson  that  they  should 
never  forget. 

Lieutenant  Radbury,  as  we  must  now  call  him, 
had  charge  of  the  outposts  along  the  river,  and, 
anxious  to  see  that  his  men  did  their  duty,  he 
remained  out  with  them,  travelling  slowly  from 
one  sentinel  to  another.  On  duty  at  one  point 
was  Stover,  as  alert  as  though  after  some  big 
game. 

"  Any  alarm,  Poke  ? "  asked  the  lieutenant,  in  a 
whisper,  for  it  was  not  known  but  that  the  Mexi- 
cans might  be  close  at  hand. 

"  Yes,  and  no,"  answered  the  old  frontiersman, 
slowly.  "  Perhaps  my  hearsight  is  deceivin'  me, 
but  I  'most  reckoned  as  how  I  heard  the  creakin' 
o'  wheels  about  —  thar  they  go  ag'in  !  " 

He  broke  off  short,  and  held  up  his  hand  for 
silence.  Both  men  listened  intently,  and  from  the 
river  bank  they  heard  the  steady,  lumbering  creak 
as  of  heavy  wagon  wheels. 

"  Am  I  right,  leftenant  ? "  demanded  the  fron- 
tiersman, when  the  sounds  had  come  to  an  end. 


THE   BATTLE    OF   CONCEPCION.  1 25 

"  You  are,  Poke;  do  you  know  what  it  was  ?  " 

"  Can't  say  exactly." 

"  It  was  the  creaking  of  artillery  wheels." 

"  Whoopee !  Then  they  must  be  comin'  over 
fer  fair ! " 

"  Yes.     I  will  report  at  once." 

Lieutenant  Radbury  lost  no  time  in  making  his 
way  to  the  tent  in  which  Colonel  Fannin  was  por- 
ing over  an  old  map  of  San  Antonio. 

"  I  have  to  report  the  coming  of  some  artillery," 
he  said,  as  he  saluted. 

"Artillery  ?  "  repeated  the  commander.  "  Mexi- 
can artillery  ? " 

"  I  think  so,  colonel."  And  Lieutenant  Rad- 
bury related  as  much  as  he  knew.  He  had 
scarcely  finished,  when  Colonel  Bowie  came  in 
on  the  run. 

"  They  are  starting  to  surround  us  ! "  he  cried. 
"  They  are  bringing  over  men  and  cannon  !  " 

The  whole  camp  was  soon  in  alarm,  and,  after  a 
short  talk  among  the  officers,  it  was  decided  to 
bring  up  the  men  in  a  semicircle,  close  to  the 
bluff's  edge.  While  this  was  going  on,  a  shot 
rang  out,  and  then  another,  showing  that  one  of 
the  outposts  had  been  fired  upon. 

As  the  night  wore  away,  a  heavy  mist  swept  up 
the  river,  and  even  when  dawn  came  but  little 
could  be  seen.  Yet,  anxious  to  avenge  the  loss 
at  Gonzales,  the  Mexicans  opened  fire  at   once, 


126  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

which,  however,  did  no  harm.  As  the  mists 
cleared  away,  the  Mexican  cavalry  surrounded 
the  whole  front  of  the  Texans'  position. 

"  Give  it  to  'em ! "  shouted  the  Texan  officers. 
"  Give  it  to  'em  hot !  " 

The  cry  was  drowned  out  by  a  solid  fire  from 
the  Mexicans,  who  continued  to  pour  in  volley 
after  volley  just  as  fast  as  they  could  reload. 

The  Texans  did  not  fire  by  volleys.  The  orders 
were :  "  Fire  at  will,  and  make  every  shot  bring 
down  a  greaser !  "  And  there  was  a  constant 
crack !  crack !  and  the  Mexicans  were  seen  to  fall 
in  all  directions. 

Lieutenant  Radbury  now  found  himself  under 
actual  fire,  and  instantly  his  mind  took  him  back 
to  his  service  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  carried  a 
rifle  as  well  as  a  pistol,  and  did  as  good  work  as 
any  man  on  the  field. 

"  They  are  preparing  for  a  charge  !  They  are 
bringing  up  a  cannon  !  "  was  the  cry  that  soon 
rang  along  the  line,  and  then  the  Mexican  bugler 
sounded  out  the  command,  and  the  cavalry  came 
on  with  a  rush  calculated  to  sweep  everything 
before  it.     But  the  Texans  stood  firm. 

"  Drop  'em  !  "  roared  Colonel  Bowie.  "  The 
first  line,  boys ! "  And  a  score  of  shots  rang 
out,  and  the  first  row  of  saddles  was  emptied 
almost  completely.  Some  of  the  horses  were 
killed  or  wounded,  and  these,  falling,  caused  some 


THE  BATTLE   OF  CONCEPCION.  I2j 

confusion.  In  the  meantime,  other  Mexicans  con- 
tinued to  drop,  and  soon  the  cavalry  retreated  to 
reform. 

"  Now  they  are  going  to  use  the  cannon  !  "  was 
the  cry  which  went  up  directly  afterward,  and 
then  a  four-pounder,  stationed  on  a  bluff,  was  dis- 
charged. The  cannon  was  aimed  much  too  high, 
and  it  is  said  that  every  shot  from  the  piece  went 
over  the  Texans'  heads. 

The  cavalry  now  came  on  again,  and  it  was  seen 
that  the  Mexicans  intended  to  shift  the  position  of 
the  cannon  so  that  they  might  enfilade  the  line,  — 
that  is,  shoot  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

"  Not  much  ye  don't !  "  sang  out  Poke  Stover, 
and,  leaping  to  a  slight  knoll,  he  took  careful  aim  at 
one  of  the  mules  attached  to  the  piece  and  fired. 
Then  he  discharged  his  pistol  at  a  second  mule. 
Both  beasts  were  badly  wounded,  and,  breaking 
away,  they  tore  first  through  the  cavalry  and  then 
through  the  infantry,  throwing  the  latter  into  much 
confusion. 

"  We  have  'em  on  the  run  !  "  Like  magic  the 
cry  arose  from  nearly  every  Texan's  throat.  The 
cavalry  had  charged  again,  and  again  the  leading 
line  had  gone  down.  Now  they  were  retreating, 
with  the  infantry  beside  them.  Seeing  it  was  of 
no  use  to  remain  longer,  the  cannoneer  attempted 
to  spike  the  four-pounder,  but  a  Texan  sharp- 
shooter cut  him  down  in  the  act. 


128  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF    TEXAS. 

"  Come  on,  boys,  let  us  follow  'em  into  San 
Antonio ! "  cried  several,  but  this  the  leaders 
would  not  allow,  for  they  were  only  ninety  strong, 
and  all  were  enhausted  from  the  battle,  which  had 
been  sharp  if  not  of  long  duration.  So  the  Mexi- 
cans were  allowed  to  form  in  the  plain  half  a  mile 
away,  and  from  there  they  marched  rapidly  back 
to  the  city.  Their  loss  was  sixty-seven  killed  and 
forty  wounded,  which  showed  how  deadly  had  been 
the  Texans'  aim.  The  Texans  lost  but  one  killed 
and  several  slightly  wounded. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

DAN    TURNS    THE    TABLES. 

To  the  boys  at  the  ranch  the  days  passed  im- 
patiently enough.  But  few  settlers  came  that  way, 
so  that  they  were  cut  off  almost  entirely  from  com- 
munication with  the  outside  world. 

The  puma  skin  had  been  brought  in  and  cared 
for,  and  now  they  turned  their  attention  to  getting 
ready  for  the  winter,  which  was  close  at  hand. 

One  day,  unable  to  stand  it  longer,  Dan  rode 
down  to  Gonzales  for  the  news.  He  found  the 
town  bubbling  over  with  joy  because  of  the  vic- 
tory at  Concepcion. 

"They  can't  stand  up  against  our  men,"  said 
the  storekeeper  who  was  talking  to  Dan.  "The 
Texans  are  brave  and  nearly  all  good  shots,  and 
they  are  fighting  for  their  homes.  The  greasers, 
on  the  other  hand,  are  lazy  and  unreliable,  paid  to 
do  what  they  are  doing,  and  consequently  think  of 
nothing  but  saving  their  own  skin." 

"  Oh,  I  reckon  some  of  them  are  patriotic 
enough,"  answered  Dan.  "But  they  are  in  the 
minority." 

129 


130  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  How  can  they  be  patriotic,  and  follow  such  a 
man  as  Santa  Anna,  who  is  continually  leading  all 
Mexico  by  the  nose  ?  No,  they  are  doing  it  for 
the  pay,  and  nothing  else." 

At  the  post-office  Dan  found  a  brief  letter  from 
his  father,  stating  that  he  was  well,  and  that  if  no 
more  fighting  came  off  in  the  near  future  he  would 
come  home  on  a  short  visit.  So  far  there  had 
been  no  regular  enlistments  in  the  Texan  army, 
and  volunteers  came  and  went  pretty  much  as 
they  pleased. 

From  the  storekeeper  Dan  learned  that  several 
bands  of  Indians  had  been  seen  in  the  vicinity, 
moving  to  the  west  and  north.  Some  were 
Comanches,  and  others  friendly  Caddos. 

"Well,  I  don't  mind  the  Caddos,"  thought  the 
boy,  "  but  I  don't  want  to  fall  in  with  any  more 
Comanches." 

He  had  thought  to  go  home  that  afternoon,  or 
evening,  as  it  is  called  in  Texas,  but,  after  learning 
about  the  Indians,  resolved  to  remain  in  Gonzales 
all  night  and  make  the  journey  the  first  thing  in 
the  morning. 

On  the  outskirts  of  Gonzales  was  the  farm 
belonging  to  Henry  Parker's  father,  and  thither 
he  went,  satisfied  that  he  would  be  sure  of 
a  warm  welcome.  He  found  Henry  at  home, 
and  also  Mrs.  Parker,  Mr.  Parker  being  away 
on  business. 


DAN  TURNS    THE    TABLES.  131 

"Why,  of  course  you  must  stay,"  said  Mrs. 
Parker.     "  I  am  glad  to  have  company." 

The  balance  of  the  day  passed  pleasantly,  and 
after  supper  the  young  man  and  Dan  took  a  stroll 
up  into  the  town  to  learn  if  any  later  news  had 
come  in. 

They  had  just  gained  the  main  street  of  the 
town  when  Dan  saw  before  him  a  figure  that 
looked  familiar.  He  quickened  his  pace,  and  soon 
ranged  up  alongside  of  the  man,  who  proved  to 
be  the  half-breed,  Hank  Stiger. 

Stiger  was  partly  under  the  influence  of  liquor, 
or  otherwise  he  would  not  have  shown  himself  in 
Gonzales  at  that  time,  when  the  Indian  raid  was 
still  fresh  in  the  settlers'  minds.  He  glared  angrily 
at  Dan  when  he  saw  the  boy. 

"Stiger,  I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you,"  said 
Dan,  with  more  firmness  than  is  usual  in  one  of 
his  age. 

"What  you  want  now?"  demanded  the  half- 
breed. 

"  I  want  to  know  what  you  have  done  with  my 
father's  papers." 

"  What  papers  do  you  mean  ? " 

"The  papers  you  stole  from  my  father's  cabin 
while  we  were  out  after  the  Indians." 

"  I  was  not  near  your  house  —  I  took  no  papers  ! ' 
cried  the  half-breed,  fiercely.  "  Who  says  so  tells 
a  lie." 


132  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  I  know  you  did  take  them,  and  unless  you  give 
them  up  I  will  have  you  placed  under  arrest." 

"  Ha !  don't  you  talk  to  Hank  Stiger  that  way, 
or  you  will  be  sorry  for  it."  The  half-breed's  hand 
stole  under  his  coat,  and  he  showed  the  handle  of 
his  hunting-knife.     "  Do  you  see  dat  ?  " 

Dan  sprang  back,  for  he  knew  how  treacherous 
the  man  before  him  could  be.  But  now  Henry 
Parker  stepped  up. 

"None  of  that,  Stiger,"  he  said,  sharply,  and 
placed  his  hand  on  the  handle  of  the  pistol  he 
carried  in  his  belt. 

"  He  wants  to  make  trouble  for  me.  He  says 
I  stole  some  papers,"  growled  Hank  Stiger, 
sullenly. 

"And  I  guess  he  is  right,  too,"  returned  Henry. 
"  If  I  understand  the  matter,  he  has  proof  against 
you." 

"  Ha !  did  Big  Foot  tell  —  "  Stiger  broke  off 
short,  realising  that  he  was  exposing  himself. 

"Yes,  Big  Foot  told  me  everything,"  said  Dan. 
"  And  you  must  give  up  those  papers,  or  take  the 
consequence." 

Hank  Stiger's  face  grew  as  dark  as  a  thunder- 
cloud. 

"I'll  pay  off  that  Injun  for  it!"  he  cried.  "I 
knew  he  wasn't  to  be  trusted,  the  skunk  !  But  I 
ain't  got  no  papers,  never  had  'em !  This  is  a  put- 
up  job  to  get  squar'  on  account  o'  that  deer,"  he 


DAN   TURNS    THE    TABLES.  1 33 

continued,  trying  to  change  the  subject.  "You 
got  the  deer,  what  more  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  talking  deer  now,  —  I  am  asking  for 
those  papers,  —  and  the  other  things  which  were 
stolen,"  resumed  Dan,  doggedly.  "What  have 
you  done  with  them?" 

"  Find  out  fer  yourself !  "  growled  Hank  Stiger, 
and  turning  swiftly,  he  started  on  a  run  for  the 
nearest  corner. 

"  Stop  !  or  I'll  fire  !  "  cried  Henry  Parker,  as  he 
drew  his  pistol,  but  before  he  could  make  up  his 
mind  whether  or  not  he  had  a  right  to  fire  on  the 
half-breed,  Stiger  was  out  of  sight.  Dan  ran  after 
him,  and  his  friend  joined  in  the  chase. 

Stiger's  course  was  toward  the  river,  and  having 
reached  this,  he  leaped  into  a  canoe  which  was 
handy  and  began  to  paddle  with  all  speed  for  the 
opposite  shore.  A  large  lumber-raft  was  lying  in 
midstream,  and  this  he  kept  as  much  as  possible 
between  himself  and  his  pursuers. 

"  He's  bound  to  get  away  if  he  can,"  observed 
Henry,  as  the  pair  gained  the  bank  of  the  Guada- 
lupe almost  out  of  breath. 

"Here  is  another  canoe — let  us  follow  him  in 
that,"  replied  Dan. 

Henry  was  willing,  and  they  were  soon  on  the 
river.  Dan  could  paddle  well,  and  they  made  rapid 
progress  around  the  raft  and  in  the  direction  Hank 
Stiger  was  taking. 


134  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

Reaching  the  opposite  shore  at  a  point  some 
distance  below  Gonzales,  the  half-breed  leaped 
into  the  bushes  and  made  his  way  to  a  pine  grove 
farther  away  from  the  bank.  The  pursuers  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  point  of  embarkation  with  ease, 
but  here  came  to  a  halt. 

"  If  it  wasn't  so  dark  we  might  follow  his  trail," 
observed  Henry.  "  But  I  can't  see  a  thing  under 
the  trees." 

"  Here  it  is,"  came  from  Dan,  who  was  on  his 
hands  and  knees.  "  He  went  into  the  pines.  I'm 
going  a  bit  farther,"  and  he  stalked  off.  Henry 
remained  behind  to  fasten  the  canoe,  that  the  cur- 
rent might  not  carry  the  craft  off. 

Dan  had  scarcely  come  up  to  the  first  row  of 
pines  when  he  saw  something  moving  over  to 
his  left.  Satisfied  that  it  was  Stiger,  he  sped 
in  the  direction.  The  half-breed  saw  him,  and 
ran  on. 

"  I've  spotted  him ! "  cried  Dan  to  his  friend. 
"Come  on ! " 

"  All  right,  I'm  coming  !  "  answered  Henry. 

On  through  the  tall  pines  ran  pursued  and  pur- 
suers, until  nearly  quarter  of  a  mile  had  been  cov- 
ered.    Dan  was  in  front,  with  Henry  close  behind. 

"You  are  fools  to  follow  me  here!"  roared 
Hank  Stiger,  as  he  came  to  a  halt.  "Take  that 
for  your  foolishness." 

"  Hide !   he  is  going  to  fire  !  "   exclaimed  Dan, 


DAN  TURNS    THE    TABLES.  1 35 

but  before  either  he  or  his  friend  could  gain  any 
shelter  Hank  Stiger  discharged  a  pistol  which 
he  carried.  The  bullet  missed  Dan,  but  struck 
Henry  Parker  across  the  temple,  and  the  young 
man  went  down,  stunned  and  unconscious. 

The  unexpected  turn  of  affairs  made  Dan's  heart 
leap  into  his  throat,  and  he  felt  how  imprudent 
both  had  been  to  thus  expose  themselves  in  such 
an  out  of  the  way  spot  to  a  man  in  Stiger' s  condi- 
tion. He  drew  his  own  pistol,  but  the  half-breed 
knew  enough  to  dart  out  of  sight  behind  a  thick 
clump  of  bushes. 

"  Henry,  are  you  badly  hurt  ? "  questioned  the 
boy,  anxiously,  but  no  reply  came  back,  and  run- 
ning to  Parker,  he  found  the  young  man  flat  on  his 
back  and  as  still  as  death. 

Never  had  Dan  felt  so  badly  as  at  this  moment, 
for  if  his  friend  was  dead  he  felt  that  he  would  be 
more  or  less  responsible  for  the  murder. 

He  bent  down  and  made  a  closer  examination, 
and  as  he  did  this  Henry  gave  a  deep  shudder  and 
opened  his  eyes  for  an  instant. 

"Thank  God,  he  is  alive!"  burst  from  Dan's 
lips.  Then,  noticing  the  blood  trickling  from 
Henry's  temple,  he  bound  up  the  young  man's 
forehead  with  his  handkerchief. 

In  the  meantime,  Hank  Stiger  was  making  a 
detour,  expecting  to  come  up  behind  Dan  and  sur- 
prise him.     He  had  drank  just  enough  to  be  utterly 


136  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

reckless,  and  carried  his  pistol  in  his  hand  ready 
for  another  shot. 

Providence  saved  Dan  from  the  anticipated 
attack.  While  Stiger  was  still  two  rods  off,  the 
boy  happened  to  turn  and  catch  sight  of  him.  His 
pistol  was  still  in  his  hand,  and,  without  stopping 
to  think  twice,  he  fired  on  the  half-breed. 

The  effect  of  the  shot  was  curious,  and  the  feat 
performed  would  be  hard  to  duplicate.  The  bullet 
from  Dan's  pistol  struck  the  hammer  of  Stiger's 
weapon,  and  while  the  pistol  exploded  and  the  ball 
sank  into  the  ground,  the  hammer  was  knocked 
off  and  hit  the  half-breed  in  the  cheek,  inflicting 
an  ugly  wound.  The  bullet  itself,  having  hit  the 
hammer,  glanced  downward  and  lodged  in  Stiger's 
leg,  close  to  his  half-bent  knee.  The  man  gave  a 
howl  of  pain  and  then  fell  flat. 

In  a  moment  Dan  was  ready  for  a  second  shot, 
but  it  was  not  needed.  Stiger's  pistol  was  now 
useless,  and  as  he  could  not  stand  up,  because  of 
the  intense  pain  in  his  knee,  handling  his  knife 
was  out  of  the  question.  As  he  sat  up,  the  boy 
faced  him  sternly. 

"  Up  with  your  hands,  Stiger,"  he  said,  sternly ; 
and  the  hands  went  up,  and  Dan  was  master  of 
the  situation. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

AFTER    A    MISSING    MUSTANG. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  me  ? "  asked 
Hank  Stiger,  after  a  moment  of  painful  silence, 
during  which  Dan  glanced  toward  Henry,  to  find 
his  friend  reviving  rapidly. 

"  You'll  find  out  later,  Stiger.  I  can  tell  you 
one  thing,  you've  gotten  yourself  in  a  pretty  tight 
box." 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault,  — you  forced  the  shooting," 
was  the  sullen  response.  "  Why  didn't  you  leave 
me  alone  from  the  start  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  bound  to  have  those  papers  and 
the  other  articles  you  stole,  that's  why." 

"  I  took  nothing,  I  swear  it." 

"  Do  you  expect  me  to  believe  you,  —  after  what 
has  happened  here,  and  after  that  affair  of  the 
deer  ?  " 

At  this  Stiger  was  silent.  He  wanted  to  get  up 
and  rush  at  Dan,  despite  the  levelled  pistol,  but  the 
wounded  knee  held  him  back.  Had  he  been  a  full- 
blooded  Indian  he  would  have  suffered  in  silence, 
*37 


138  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

but,  being  only  a  half-breed,  and  of  poor  Indian  and 
white  blood  at  that,  he  groaned  dismally. 

"  Dan  !  "  The  cry  came  faintly  from  Henry, 
who  had  slowly  raised  himself.  "Where — what 
—  oh,  I  remember,  now !  "  And  he  sank  back 
again. 

"  It's  all  right,  Henry ;  I've  made  Stiger  a 
prisoner." 

"A  prisoner!"  whined  the  half-breed.  "Ain't 
I  suffered  enough  already?  My  leg  is  somethin' 
fearful !  "  and  he  groaned  again. 

"  You  brought  it  all  on  yourself,  Stiger,  so  you 
need  not  complain  to  me." 

"I  didn't,  you  —  " 

"  I  won't  listen  to  any  more  explanations. 
Throw  your  knife  over  here,  and  be  careful  you 
don't  hit  anybody  with  it." 

The  half-breed  fumed  and  raved,  but  all  to  no 
purpose,  and  at  last  the  knife  came  over,  and  was 
followed  by  the  broken  pistol. 

"  Now  don't  you  dare  to  move,"  went  on  Dan, 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  Henry.  Not  far 
away  was  a  little  brook  flowing  into  the  Guadalupe, 
and  here  Dan  procured  some  water  with  which  he 
bathed  his  friend's  wound. 

The  departure  from  the  town  shore  had  been 
noted  by  several  lumbermen,  and,  having  heard 
the  pistol-shots,  several  came  over  to  learn  if  a 
fight  was  going  on.     By  calling  out,  the  lumber- 


AFTER   A    MISSING    MUSTANG.  1 39 

men  managed  to  locate  our  friends  and  soon  came 
up  to  them.  They  listened  to  Dan's  tale  with 
close  attention. 

"We  ought  to  go  fer  to  string  the  half-breed 
up,"  was  the  comment  of  one  of.  the  woodsmen. 
"  We've  got  enough  trouble  on  hand  without 
allowin'  sech  chaps  to  make  more." 

"Thet's  jest  the  size  on  it,"  added  another. 
"  String  him  up  on  the  spot." 

But  Dan  would  not  countenance  this,  nor  would 
Henry,  who  had  now  fully  recovered,  although  the 
bullet  had  left  an  ugly  scratch  which  he  was  bound 
to  wear  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Finally  a  com- 
promise was  made  with  Stiger,  who  offered  to 
hobble  down  to  the  river,  although  scarcely  able 
to  walk.  The  threat  to  hang  him  had  rendered 
the  half-breed  thoroughly  sober. 

The  return  to  the  town  was  made  without  inci- 
dent, and  at  the  local  lockup  Dan  told  his  story, 
and  it  was  decided  to  keep  Stiger  a  prisoner  for 
the  time  being.  He  was  searched,  and  in  one  of 
his  pockets  was  found  some  small  silver  trinkets, 
which  Dan  at  once  identified  as  belonging  to  his 
father.  But  no  trace  was  there  of  the  papers 
relating  to  the  land  grant. 

"  But  these  trinkets  prove  that  Stiger  was  the 
thief,"  said  Dan.  "I  would  like  you  to  keep  him 
a  prisoner  until  my  father  can  come  here  and  make 
a  regular  charge  against  him."     And  so  the  matter 


140  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

was  allowed  to  rest.  Stiger  was  in  a  rage,  and 
vowed  that  he  would  surely  get  even  with  Dan 
some  day. 

When  Henry  Parker  arrived  home  his  mother 
was  much  alarmed  to  find  that  he  had  been  shot. 
Yet  beyond  the  shock  the  young  man  had  suffered 
little,  and  after  having  the  wound  properly  dressed 
he  felt  as  well  as  ever. 

"  I  might  rather  have  gone  off  to  the  war,"  he 
grumbled.  "  Dan  and  I  are  getting  all  the  fighting 
by  staying  at  home." 

It  was  hardly  daybreak  when  Dan  started  to 
return  to  the  ranch.  He  would  not  have  gone 
back  at  all  just  then,  only  he  knew  Ralph  would 
grow  anxious  if  he  did  not  return.  As  soon  as  he 
could  arrange  it,  the  youth  had  determined  to  ride 
over  to  where  the  army  was  encamped,  to  tell  his 
parent  of  the  encounter  with  Stiger,  and  learn  if 
Mr.  Radbury  wished  to  take  up  the  case. 

Dan  had  not  to  take  the  trip  alone,  as  two  of 
the  lumbermen  were  going  up  the  Guadalupe  on 
business.  As  yet  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
Texans  had  joined  the  army,  many  of  the  others 
having  no  idea  that  a  regular  revolution  was  at 
hand. 

"It  won't  amount  to  shucks,"  said  one  of  the 
lumbermen,  as  the  three  rode  along  the  river  trail. 
"  We'll  have  a  lot  of  meetings  and  a  scrimmage  or 
two,  and  then  Santa  Anna  will  come  over  with  a 


AFTER   A   MISSING  MUSTANG.  141 

big  army,  and  our  leaders  won't  dare  to  call  their 
souls  their  own." 

"I  cannot  agree  with  you,"  answered  Dan. 
"  Our  folks  have  suffered  too  much  to  turn  back 
now." 

"  But  we  ain't  got  no  army,  —  only  a  lot  o' 
farmers  and  rancheros,  and  blacklegs  who  have 
run  away  from  the  United  States  to  escape 
justice.  Mexico  has  a  finely  trained  lot  o' 
soldiers." 

"Well,  the  United  States  didn't  have  any 
trained  army  at  the  opening  of  the  Revolution," 
retorted  Dan,  warmly.  "But  we  showed  King 
George's  men  a  thing  or  two  before  we  got 
through  with  them." 

"  Well,  if  we  do  fight  'em  and  obtain  our  liberty, 
what  then  ?  "  put  in  the  second  lumberman.  "The 
politicians  will  run  everything  to  suit  themselves. 
We  won't  have  any  more  rights  than  we  have 
now." 

"  Never  mind,  I  think  matters  will  be  a  good  deal 
better,"  answered  Dan.  "Anyway,"  he  added, 
with  a  peculiar  smile,  "  do  you  believe  in  giving  up 
your  arms  ? " 

"  Not  much ! "  answered  both  lumbermen, 
promptly.      "That's  a  fool  law." 

"  Then  what  are  you  going  to  do,  if  the  greasers 
demand  your  guns  and  pistols,  as  they  demanded 
that  cannon  ? " 


142  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

This  proved  a  clincher,  and  the  lumbermen 
changed  the  subject.  They  were  for  peace, 
but  it  may  be  as  well  to  state  here  that,  in 
the  end,  they  joined  the  army,  and  fought  as 
nobly  for  liberty  as  did  the  average  Texan 
soldier. 

Before  the  journey  was  half  over,  it  had  begun 
to  rain,  and  by  the  time  the  ranch  home  was 
reached,  Dan  and  his  companions  were  wet  to  the 
skin.  As  it  still  poured  down  steadily,  the  lum- 
bermen were  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the  Rad- 
burys'  offer  to  stay  at  the  cabin  for  the  balance  of 
the  day. 

"  Hurrah  for  our  side !  "  cried  Ralph,  when  told 
of  the  battle  at  the  Mission  Concepcion.  "  If  they 
have  a  few  more  such  fights,  perhaps  the  Mexicans 
will  wake  up  to  the  idea  that  we  have  some  rights 
they  are  bound  to  respect." 

He  was  glad  to  hear  that  Stiger  had  been 
jailed,  and  sorry  that  Henry  Parker  had  been 
wounded.  "  Henry  can  make  a  charge  even  if 
father  doesn't,"  he  said. 

Ralph  and  Pompey  had  had  troubles  of  their 
own  during  Dan's  brief  absence.  Two  prize  mus- 
tangs, not  yet  broken  in,  had  gotten  out  of  the 
corral  near  the  cattle  shed,  and  although  the  boy 
and  the  negro  had  managed  to  round  up  one  of  the 
steeds,  the  other  had  persisted  in  keeping  just  out 
of  their  reach. 


AFTER   A    MISSING  MUSTANG.  1 43 

"I  tried  to  lasso  him,"  said  Ralph,  "but  I 
wasn't  equal  to  it,  and,  of  course,  Pompey  knows 
nothing  of  a  lasso." 

"  Well,  we  can  go  after  him  when  the  storm 
clears  away,"  answered  Dan. 

Pompey  had  prepared  a  substantial  dinner,  and 
the  balance  of  the  day  passed  off  pleasantly  enough. 
By  morning  the  storm  had  cleared  away,  and  the 
lumbermen  took  their  departure.  Then  Dan  pro- 
cured a  lasso,  and  he  and  Ralph  mounted  their 
steeds  and  set  off  on  a  search  for  the  missing  mus- 
tang, which  was  a  beauty,  and  which  Mr.  Radbury 
prized  very  highly. 

"  He  went  off  to  the  southwest,"  said  Ralph,  as 
the  brothers  rode  away.  "  Of  course,  there  is  no 
telling  how  far  he  ran.  I  suppose  it  will  be  a  good 
deal  like  looking  for  a  needle  in  a  haystack  to 
locate  him." 

"  Well,  we  can  do  our  best,  Ralph.  I  know 
father  set  a  great  store  by  that  white  pony.  He 
was  thinking  of  breaking  him  in  for  his  own 
use." 

"  I  know  it,  and  that  is  why  I  tried  so  hard  to 
capture  him.  But  I  can't  get  the  hang  of  the 
lasso,"  and  Ralph  shook  his  head,  for  he  had  tried 
to  land  the  loop  over  the  mustang's  head  at  least  a 
score  of  times. 

"  You'll  learn  in  time.  It's  more  the  knack  of 
it  than  anything  else.     Come,  let  us  hurry  !  "  and 


144  F0R    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Dan  set  off  at  a  gallop.  He  was  thinking  alto- 
gether of  the  mustang,  and  never  dreamed  of  the 
other  odd  adventure  in  store  for  him,  — an  adven- 
ture which  was  to  make  a  soldier  of  him  almost 
before  he  was  aware. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE    GRASS    FIGHT,    AND    WHAT    FOLLOWED. 

The  victory  at  Concepcion,  as  was  natural, 
greatly  strengthened  the  cause  of  the  Texans, 
and  immediately  afterward  the  number  of  volun- 
teers in  the  army  increased.  Seeing  this,  Austin 
moved  his  command  still  closer,  and  settled  into  a 
regular  siege  of  San  Antonio.  The  scouts,  under 
Colonel  Bowie,  surrounded  the  town,  to  give  warn- 
ing of  the  approach  of  any  reinforcements  for 
General  Cos,  who  remained  within,  still  barricading 
the  streets  and  wondering  how  soon  the  revolu- 
tionists would  attack  him. 

In  the  meantime,  a  general  meeting  of  citizens 
and  political  leaders  was  held  at  San  Felipe,  and 
at  this  convention,  as  it  was  termed,  Austin  was 
elected  as  a  commissioner  to  seek  aid  in  the 
United  States.  This  left  Austin's  place  in  the 
army  vacant,  and  General  Edward  Burleson,  an 
old  Indian  fighter,  was  selected  to  fill  the  position. 

General  Cos  was  boxed  up  in  San  Antonio  with 
a  force  estimated  at  from  twelve  hundred  to  six- 
teen hundred  men.  Many  of  his  soldiers  belonged 
US 


I46  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

to  mounted  companies,  and  it  became  a  problem, 
not  only  how  to  feed  the  men,  but  also  how  to 
feed  so  many  animals.  There  were  rations  to  hold 
out  for  some  time,  but  little  forage.  To  make 
the  matter  still  more  difficult  for  the  Mexican 
commander,  Bowie  and  others  ordered  all  the 
grass  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  San  Antonio 
burnt.  This  caused  one  or  two  small  fires  among 
the  huts  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  came 
near  to  starting  a  panic. 

At  last  General  Cos  felt  that  he  must  either  have 
forage  for  his  soldiers'  horses,  or  else  slaughter 
them,  and  he  hired  bodies  of  the  Mexican  farmers 
to  go  out,  during  the  night,  to  gather  such  grass 
as  could  be  gotten  within  a  reasonable  distance  of 
the  town.  These  bodies  of  men  invariably  went 
out  under  the  protection  of  one  or  more  companies 
of  cavalry. 

The  expeditions  after  forage  brought  on  what 
was  called  the  Grass  Fight.  Among  Bowie's 
scouts  was  an  old  frontiersman  called  Deaf  Smith, 
and  one  day  when  Smith  was  out  he  discovered  a 
body  of  farmers  and  cavalry,  about  a  hundred 
strong.  The  panniers  of  the  horses  and  mules 
were  stuffed  with  grass,  but  as  the  body  was  a 
long  way  off,  Smith  mistook  them  for  some  troops 
come  to  reinforce  General  Cos,  and  supposed  the 
stuffed  panniers  to  be  filled  with  silver  to  pay  off 
the  Bexar  garrison. 


THE    GRASS  FIGHT.  147 

Without  waiting  to  make  certain  about  his  dis- 
covery, Deaf  Smith  rode  pell-mell  into  the  camp  of 
the  Texans.  "  The  reinforcements  are  coming  !  " 
he  shouted.      "  Ugartchea  is  here  !  " 

"Ugartchea!  Ugartchea!"  was  the  cry  taken 
up  on  all  sides,  and  it  was  not  long  before  Colonel 
Bowie  set  off  with  a  hundred  of  the  best  Texan 
horsemen  to  intercept  the  supposed  newcomers. 

The  Mexicans  saw  them  approach,  but  it  was 
too  late  to  get  back  into  San  Antonio,  and  while 
a  few  of  the  farmers  managed  to  escape,  the 
Mexican  cavalry  took  up  a  position  in  the  bed  of 
a  dry  creek.  The  plight  of  those  outside  of  the 
city  was  seen  by  those  within,  and  General  Cos 
instantly  despatched  more  cavalry  to  the  relief, 
and  also  two  pieces  of   artillery. 

The  creek,  which  was  in  reality  a  deep  gully, 
was  overgrown  on  either  side  with  tall  brush,  and 
Bowie  had  some  difficulty  in  bringing  up  his  com- 
mand to  a  firing  position.  But  some  of  the  scouts 
could  not  be  held  back,  and  rushing  up  they 
speedily  laid  several  of  the  Mexicans  low. 

"  Now  then,  fire  on  them  ! "  shouted  Bowie, 
when  the  proper  range  was  obtained ;  but  the 
Texans  had  scarcely  opened  up,  when  the  relief 
guard  of  the  Mexicans  swung  into  position  behind 
the  Texans,  and  they  found  themselves  caught 
between  two  fires.  They  wheeled  about,  and 
charged   those    behind  them,   who  speedily  scat- 


I48  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

tered  in  every  direction,  leaving  their  dead  and 
dying  behind  them. 

In  the  meantime,  the  main  body  of  the  Texan 
army  was  coming  up,  and,  arriving  at  the  gully, 
they  drove  out  the  cavalry,  killing  a  dozen  or 
more  of  them,  and  capturing  many  mules  and 
horses,  and  a  large  quantity  of  grass,  the  so- 
called  "silver"  which  was  supposed  to  fill  the 
panniers,  and  which  caused  many  a  laugh  for 
long  afterward.  The  loss  to  the  Texans  was 
small. 

In  the  midst  of  the  conflict  one  of  the  offi- 
cers dashed  up  to  Amos  Radbury.  "  Lieutenant, 
several  Mexicans  are  escaping  in  yonder  direc- 
tion," he  said,  pointing  with  his  sword.  "You 
will  take  a  detachment  of  twelve  men,  and  go 
after  them." 

"  I  will,  major,"  answered  the  lieutenant,  and 
saluted.  He  was  soon  on  the  way,  with  Poke 
Stover,  and  eleven  others,  for  Poke  happened  to 
be  near  him  when  the  order  was  given.  The 
Mexicans  they  had  been  sent  to  capture  were 
four  in  number,  and  one  of  them  looked  like  an 
officer  of  considerable  rank. 

"I  think  we  can  ride  them  down,  Poke,"  ob- 
served Lieutenant  Radbury,  as  he  dashed  over 
the  prairies  at  the  full  speed  of  his  mustang. 

"Well,  we  kin  give  'em  a  putty  tough  ride  fer 
it,  anyhow,"  drawled  the  frontiersman. 


THE    GRASS  FIGHT.  1 49 

"We  must  catch  them,  if  possible,  before  they 
gain  yonder  timber  land." 

"Thet's  so.  If  we  don't,  it  won't  be  no  easy 
work  to  locate  'em  in  the  brush." 

The  party  of  thirteen  were  all  fair  riders,  but 
for  once  the  number  seemed  fated  to  be  really 
unlucky.  Less  than  quarter  of  a  mile  had  been 
covered  when  one  of  the  mustangs,  going  at  full 
speed,  stepped  into  the  hole  of  some  wild  animal, 
and  pitched  headlong  with  a  broken  leg.  The 
rider  behind  the  one  to  go  down,  pitched  in  on  top 
of  him,  and  in  a  thrice  there  lay  on  the  prairie  a 
mustang  so  badly  injured  that  he  had  to  be  shot, 
and  two  men  so  bruised  that  further  pursuit  for 
them  of  the   Mexicans  was   out   of  the  question. 

"  Halt ! "  cried  Lieutenant  Radbury,  and 
brought  the  balance  of  his  command  to  a  stand- 
still.    "  Are  you  much  hurt,   Read  well  ?  " 

"I  —  I  reckon  not,"  was  the  answer,  but  when 
Readwell  attempted  to  stand  up  he  found  his  foot 
and  back  badly  strained. 

"  And  you,  Alton  ? " 

"  My  left  arm  is  bruised,  —  I  don't  know  but 
what  it  is  broken." 

"The  mustang  is  done  fer,"  put  in  Poke  Stover, 
after  examining  Readwell's  steed.  "  Might  as  well 
shoot  him,  and  put  him  out  of  his  misery." 

This  was  ordered  by  the  lieutenant,  and  the 
command  carried  out  on  the  spot.     The  second 


150  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

mustang  was  slightly  injured,  but  could  still  be 
ridden. 

"Both  of  you  had  better  go  back,  on  the  one 
mustang,"  said  Amos  Radbury.  "And,  Glenwood, 
you  can  go  back  with  them,  for  fear  they  may  have 
trouble  with  other  Mexicans  who  may  be  wander- 
ing about." 

So  it  was  arranged,  and  this  brought  the  lieu- 
tenant's force  down  to  ten  men.  The  two 
parties  separated  without  delay,  and  those  in 
pursuit  of  the  flying  Mexicans  went  on  as  fast 
as  before. 

But  the  delay  had  given  the  enemy  an  advan- 
tage, and  before  the  Texan s  could  come  within 
good  firing  distance  the  four  Mexicans  reached 
the  timber.     At  the  edge  they  came  to  a  halt. 

"  They  are  going  to  fire  on  us,  leftenant ! " 
cried  Stover. 

"  Down ! "  cried  Amos  Radbury,  and  the 
Texans  had  scarcely  time  to  drop  to  the  shel- 
tered sides  of  the  steeds,  a  favourite  trick  with 
old  frontiersmen,  when  a  volley  sounded  out,  and 
the  bullets  whistled  over  their  heads.  Another 
volley  followed ;  then,  as  the  Texans  swept  closer, 
and  fired  in  return,  the  Mexicans  disappeared  into 
the  timber. 

Ordinary  soldiers  would  have  hesitated  about 
following  the  Mexicans  into  the  forest,  but  all 
of    the   Texans    were    expert   in   woodcraft,    and 


THE   GRASS  FIGHT.  151 

thought  they  could  keep  out  of  an  ambuscade 
as  well  in  the  woods  as  out  of  it. 

"  Stover,  supposing  you  and  Dilberry  go  ahead 
and  reconnoitre,"  suggested  the  lieutenant.  "  I 
know  I  can  trust  you  to  keep  out  of  trouble." 

"  Certainly,  I'll  go  ahead,  if  ye  want  me  to," 
answered  Poke  Stover,  in  his  free  and  easy  man- 
ner, and  rode  on  with  the  other  soldier  mentioned. 
As  soon  as  they  got  into  the  thickets  of  the  timber, 
they  dismounted,  tied  their  steeds  to  a  tree,  and 
advanced  on  foot.  In  the  meantime,  Amos  Rad- 
bury  spread  out  the  balance  of  his  party  into  a  line 
fifty  yards  long,  extending  from  a  deep  ravine  on 
the  right  to  a  steep  hill  on  the  left.  He  felt  that 
the  Mexicans  could  not  climb  the  hill  very  well, 
for  it  was  covered  with  large  and  loose  stones,  and 
to  take  their  ponies  down  into  the  ravine  would  be 
equally  difficult. 

The  advance  of  Stover  and  his  companion  was 
necessarily  slow,  for  they  had  no  desire  to  be 
picked  off  by  some  Mexican  concealed  behind  a 
tree.  Yet  they  kept  on  for  a  dozen  rods  before 
finding  any  trace  of  the  enemy. 

"The  trail  goes  toward  the  ravine,"  said  Stover, 
presently.  "  They  are  following  an  old  Comanche 
path." 

"  Right  ye  air,"  answered  the  other  frontiers- 
man. "Years  ago,  them  air  Comanches  had  a  vil- 
lage in  this  ravine,  erbout  four  miles  from  hyer." 


152  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  I've  heard  tell  on  it,  Dilberry,  though  I  never 
sot  eyes  on  it  myself.  It  war  the  home  o'  thet 
Bison  Head,  the  wust  of  'em  as  ain't  dead  yet." 

Having  made  certain  that  the  Mexicans  had 
gone  straight  on  for  a  goodly  distance,  the  two 
scouts  so  reported,  and  the  entire  party  set  off 
along  the  ravine,  which  at  some  points  was  broad 
and  shallow  and  at  others  narrow  and  deep. 

Suddenly  the  report  of  a  gun  rang  out,  com- 
ing from  a  point  where  the  ravine  made  an 
abrupt  turn  to  the  north.  Several  other  reports 
followed. 

"They  must  be  shooting  at  something,"  said 
Lieutenant  Radbury.  "But  they  are  not  aiming 
at  us,  for  no  bullets  have  come  this  way,  so  far  as 
I  can  ascertain." 

"  Perhaps  they  are  having  a  brush  with  some 
Indians,"  suggested  another  of  the  party.  "They 
may  —  Hello,  what's  this  coming  along  the  trail  ? 
A  white  mustang,  I  declare,  with  a  black  blaze  on 
his  forehead.  None  o'  those  greasers  rode  that 
animal,  I'm  certain  on  it." 

"  A  white  mustang  !  "  cried  Amos  Radbury,  and 
then,  as  the  animal  came  closer,  he  gave  a  start. 
"  It's  the  same,  I  declare  !  " 

"  The  same  ?  "  queried  Poke  Stover.  "  What 
do  ye  mean,  leftenant  ? " 

"That  mustang  belongs  to  me.  I  was  trying 
to  break  him  in  when  the  call  to  arms  came.     He 


THE    GRASS  FIGHT.  1 53 

must  have  gotten  away  from  my  boys.     But  what 
is  he  doing  away  out  here  ?  " 

That  question  could  not  be  answered  just  then, 
and  in  another  moment  the  white  mustang  was  out 
of  sight.  Then,  as  the  firing  ahead  had  ceased, 
the  movement  forward  was  continued. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


DAN    COMES    TO    GRIEF. 


"Well,  this  looks  as  if  it  was  going  to  be  a 
long-winded  search." 

"  So  it  does,  Ralph ;  but  you  must  remember 
that  a  wild  mustang  who  had  been  shut  up  in  a 
corral  for  a  couple  of  weeks  will  feel  very  much 
like  stretching  his  legs  when  he  gets  out." 

"  We  must  have  come  at  least  eight  miles." 

"  It's  nearer  ten." 

"And  we  haven't  seen  the  least  sign  of  him." 

"Oh,  yes,  we  have;  we  discovered  that  trail." 

"  But  we  are  not  sure  it  was  the  mustang's." 

"  I  take  for  granted  that  it  was,  for  I  do  not 
believe  any  other  pony  passed  this  way  since  it 
rained." 

The  boys  had  not  gone  on  straight  ahead,  but 
in  a  grand  semicircle,  until  the  footprints  men- 
tioned had  been  discovered.  Now  they  were 
riding  over  a  broad  patch  of  prairie  land,  with  a 
belt  of  timber  to  the  north  and  another  to  the 
south. 

"I  wonder  if  there  are  any  Indians  in  the 
r54 


DAN  COMES    TO    GRIEF.  155 

vicinity,"  resumed  Ralph,  a  while  later.  "  I  won't 
care  to  fall  in  with  some  of  those  Comanches  who 
made  it  so  hot  for  us  at  the  cabin." 

"  Oh,  they  were  chased  a  good  many  miles  off, 
Ralph.  Besides,  they  won't  dare  to  show  up  here 
while  they  know  that  all  of  our  best  fighters  are 
massing  between  Gonzales  and  San  Antonio." 

"  I  wonder  how  matters  are  going  on  at  the 
front.  I  should  think  our  army  would  march  on 
Bexar  without  delay." 

"  They  don't  want  to  make  an  attack  until  they 
are  strong  enough  to  overcome  General  Cos's 
force.  He  may  have  considerable  reinforcements 
by  this  time." 

So  the  boys  talked  and  rode  until  noon  was 
passed.  Both  were  now  hungry,  and  coming  to  a 
pool  in  the  prairie  surrounded  by  mesquite-trees 
and  bushes,  they  drew  rein  and  tethered  their 
ponies,  and  sat  down  to  enjoy  the  midday  meal 
they  had  brought  along. 

Pompey  had  packed  for  them  a  tempting  ham- 
per, and  the  boys  remained  over  the  repast  rather 
longer  than  anticipated.  The  sun  shone  bright, 
and  as  there  was  no  wind,  the  day  was  pleasant, 
even  though  late  in  the  season. 

"  I  suppose  some  day  all  this  territory  will  be 
built  up  with  towns  and  villages,"  remarked  Dan, 
as  he  dug  his  knife-blade  into  the  earth  in  a  medi- 
tative way.      "And  when  it  is,   I  wonder  if  the 


156  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

boys  of  that  generation  will  ever  remember  what 
a  howling  wilderness  it  was  in  our  generation." 

"A  few  will,  but  not  many,"  laughed  Ralph. 
"We  are  too  much  of  a  go-ahead  people  to  do 
much  looking  back."  The  youngest  Radbury 
leaped  suddenly  to  his  feet.  "  What's  that, 
Dan?" 

The  brother  sprang  up  also,  and  gave  a  search- 
ing glance  in  the  direction  Ralph  pointed  out. 

"  Unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  it's  the  mus- 
tang." 

"Just  what  I  thought.  He  seems  to  be  grazing 
just  at  the  edge  of  the  timber.  How  had  we  best 
get  at  him  ? " 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  several  minutes, 
and  they  came  to  the  conclusion  to  ride  to  the 
timber  at  some  point  below  where  the  pony  was 
grazing  and  then  work  up  behind  him. 

"Then,  if  he  bolts,  it  will  be  for  the  prairie," 
said  Dan.  "  That  will  give  me  a  chance  to  lasso 
him." 

The  timber  was  soon  gained,  and  they  skirted 
this  with  the  silence  of  Indians  until  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  white  mustang.  Then  the 
older  brother  called  another  halt. 

"  Now  you  take  the  north  side,  and  I'll  keep  to 
the  south,"  said  Dan.  "  Have  you  got  your  lasso 
ready  ? " 

Ralph  had,  and  it  was  decided  that  he  should 


"  '  HOLD    BACK  !  '    YELLED    DAN." 


DAN  COMES   TO    GRIEF.  1 57 

make  the  first  throw,  but  not  until  Dan  was  pre- 
pared to  make  the  second. 

With  great  caution  the  two  boys  advanced  to  the 
point  agreed  upon.  Then  they  rode  out  to  where 
the  lassoes  could  be  used  freely. 

In  the  meantime  the  mustang  was  grazing 
peacefully,  utterly  unconscious  of  their  presence 
in  the  vicinity.  But  now,  as  they  drew  still  closer, 
he  stopped  cropping  the  grass  and  raised  his  head 
as  if  to  listen. 

"Throw !  "  cried  Dan,  and  the  lasso  left  Ralph's 
hand  with  a  whizzing  sound.  A  few  seconds 
later  Dan  made  his  own  cast. 

As  luck  would  have  it,  both  landed  over  the 
mustang's  head,  but  while  Dan's  was  drawn  tight 
with  great  quickness,  Ralph's  remained  loose,  so 
that  in  a  twinkle  the  mustang  shook  it  off,  and 
then  of  course  the  line  tightened  around  Dan's 
lariat  instead. 

"  Hold  back  !  "  yelled  Dan,  as  he  saw  Ralph  sit 
bewildered  in  the  saddle.  "  Run  off  to  the  other 
side !  " 

The  younger  Radbury  attempted  to  obey,  but 
as  quick  as  a  flash  the  mustang  turned  and  rushed 
forward,  bringing  the  lasso  around  Ralph's  own 
steed.  Then  came  a  snap  of  the  lariat,  and  Ralph 
went  down,  with  the  mustang  on  top  of  him. 

All  this  took  scarcely  more  time  than  to  de- 
scribe it,  and  now  Dan  found  himself  holding  the 


158  FOR  THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

white  mustang  alone,  with  Ralph's  lariat  end 
entangled  in  his  own.  Then  off  went  the  wild 
animal,  kicking  and  plunging  in  a  desperate 
fashion,  which  even  the  tightened  leather  about 
his  neck  did  not  appear  to  hinder.  His  course 
was  straight  for  the  timber,  and  he  went  on  drag- 
ging Dan's  pony  after  him.  It  is  true  the  pony- 
might  have  held  back,  buc  he  was  not  well  broken 
for  such  a  purpose,  having  participated  in  but  few 
round-ups. 

"  Look  out  !  You'll  be  killed  !  "  yelled  Ralph, 
as  he  struggled  to  get  out  from  under  his  pony. 
The  wind  had  been  knocked  out  of  him,  but  other- 
wise he  was  uninjured. 

Dan  scarcely  heard  him,  so  busy  was  he  trying 
to  bring  the  white  mustang  to  a  halt.  Soon  he 
disappeared  into  the  timber,  and  then  Ralph  arose, 
mounted  the  pony  once  more,  and  came  after  him. 

The  white  mustang  did  not  enter  the  forest  far 
before  the  lariat  around  his  neck  began  to  hurt 
him.  He  tried  to  circle  around  several  trees,  and 
thereby  cut  himself  short  to  such  an  extent  that 
he  was  in  great  danger  of  choking  to  death. 

"  Hold  my  pony !  "  shouted  Dan  to  Ralph,  and 
slipped  to  the  ground.  The  free  end  of  the  lariat 
was  passed  around  a  tree  and  tied,  and  Dan  sprang 
forward  toward  the  white  mustang,  who  was  now 
acting  as  if  ready  to  give  up  the  battle. 

"  Easy  now,   easy,"   said  Dan,  soothingly,  and 


DAN  COMES   TO    GRIEF.  1 59 

watching  his  chance,  he  hopped  up  on  the  mus- 
tang's back.  Immediately  the  animal  bucked  and 
plunged,  trying  his  best  to  throw  his  rider.  The 
lariat  was  depriving  him  of  his  wind,  and  of  a 
sudden  he  stopped  short  and  trembled,  as  if  about 
to  fall. 

Not  wishing  to  strangle  the  animal  now  he  had 
caught  him,  Dan  cried  to  Ralph  to  come  up  and 
help  hobble  the  steed,  that  he  might  walk  but  not 
run.  At  the  same  time  he  continued  to  talk  sooth- 
ingly to  the  mustang  and  patted  him  on  the  neck. 
Then,  fearing  he  would  breathe  his  last  if  the  lariat 
remained  as  it  was,  he  drew  his  knife  and  cut  the 
leather. 

In  a  twinkle  the  whole  manner  of  the  mustang 
changed,  and,  before  Ralph  could  reach  his  big 
brother's  side,  the  steed  was  off  like  a  streak  of 
lightning,  with  Dan  clinging  fast  to  his  neck. 
Over  some  low  brush  the  pair  went,  and  then 
under  some  tall  pines  and  out  of  sight. 

"  Hi !  hi !  "  cried  Ralph,  but  Dan  had  too  much 
to  do  to  call  back  to  him.  On  and  on  went  the 
mustang,  and  the  youth  could  neither  stop  him, 
nor  did  he  dare  try  to  leap  to  the  ground,  for  fear 
of  a  kick  from  one  of  those  flying  hoofs.  It  was 
such  a  wild  ride  as  Dan  never  forgot. 

By  instinct  the  white  mustang  seemed  to  know 
the  best  course  to  pursue,  and  went  on  where  the 
trees  were  high  branched  and  tolerably  far  apart. 


l6o  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

This  was  lucky  for  Dan,  for  had  the  limbs  been 
low  he  must  certainly  have  been  knocked  off  and 
killed.     He  bent  as  low  as  he  could. 

"Go  it,  if  you  must,"  he  thought,  grimly. 
"You'll  get  tired  some  time.  But  I  hope  you 
don't  go  all  the  way  to  Bexar." 

Fully  two  miles  were  covered,  when  the  white 
mustang  came  out  of  the  woods  at  the  edge  of  a 
ravine.  He  ran  like  the  wind  until  the  very  edge 
was  reached,  then  stopped  short  all  in  an  instant. 

Dan  was  holding  on  with  might  and  main,  but 
no  boy's  grip  could  withstand  such  a  shock,  and 
up  flew  his  body,  and  over  the  pony's  head  he 
sailed.  Then  he  felt  himself  going  downward, 
toward  the  bottom  of  the  ravine.  Some  brush- 
wood scratched  his  hands  and  face,  there  followed 
a  great  thump,  —  and  then  he  knew  no  more. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE    CAVE    IN    THE    RAVINE. 

When  Dan  came  to  his  senses  all  was  dark 
around  him.  The  sun  had  set  over  the  timber  in 
the  west,  and  scarcely  a  sound  broke  the  stillness 
of  the  night. 

For  several  minutes  the  youth  could  not  imagine 
where  he  was  or  what  had  happened.  Then  slowly 
the  realisation  of  the  events  just  passed  dawned 
upon  his  muddled  brain. 

He  tried  to  pull  himself  together  and  sit  up,  but 
the  effort  was  so  painful  he  was  glad  enough  to 
give  it  up  and  rest  just  as  he  lay.  The  brushwood 
had  saved  him  from  death,  but  it  had  not  saved 
him  from  a  nasty  fall  on  the  flat  rocks  which 
rested  at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  at  this  particular 
point. 

"It  must  be  at  least  two  or  three  hours  since 
I  went  over,"  he  thought,  dismally.  "  I  wonder 
what  became  of  the  mustang,  and  where  Ralph 
and  the  ponies  are  ? " 

He  tried  to  see  the  face  of  the  silver  watch  he 
carried, —  an  heirloom  from  his  mother,  —  but  it 
161 


1 62  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

was  too  dark,  and  he  had  to  give  it  up.  Then  he 
attempted  to  call  out,  but  his  voice  was  so  feeble 
no  one  standing  fifty  yards  off  would  have  heard 
it.  And  Ralph  was  miles  and  miles  away,  hope- 
lessly lost  in  his  hunt  after  his  missing  brother. 

Not  a  bone  had  been  broken  nor  a  muscle 
strained  to  any  extent,  yet  it  was  almost  daybreak 
before  Dan  felt  like  getting  on  his  feet,  and  in  the 
meantime  he  had  fallen  into  a  doze  and  dreamed 
all  manner  of  horrible  dreams.  When  he  awoke, 
his  mouth  was  parched  for  water,  and  his  first 
move  was  in  the  direction  of  the  wet  portion  of 
the  ravine,  beyond  the  rocks. 

As  it  was  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  night  had 
been  cold,  and  after  procuring  a  drink  he  was  glad 
enough  to  sit  down  again  beside  a  fire  made  of 
leaves  and  such  small  brush  as  was  handy.  He 
was  now  hungry,  but  nothing  was  at  hand  to 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  inner  man.  His  gun 
had  been  left  behind,  but  in  his  belt  still  rested 
his  hunting-knife,  —  something  he  had  taken  to 
carrying  constantly  since  the  brush  with  the 
Comanches. 

Dan  could  not  help  but  wonder  what  had  become 
of  Ralph,  and  wished  that  he  had  some  firearm  by 
which  he  might  discharge  a  shot  as  a  signal. 

Slowly  the  morning  wore  away,  and  by  noon  the 
lad  felt  that  he  must  make  a  move.  "  I'll  get  out 
of  the  ravine  first,"  he  thought,  but  this  was  no 


THE   CAVE  IN   THE   RAVINE.  1 63 

easy  matter,  for  the  sides  were  steep  and  he  was 
still  too  weak  to  exert  himself  in  climbing. 

Presently  he  imagined  that  he  heard,  at  a  great 
distance,  the  firing  of  a  volley  of  shots.  To  make 
sure  he  was  right,  he  laid  on  the  ground  and  lis- 
tened. Soon  the  volley  was  repeated,  and  a  number 
of  single  reports  followed. 

"There  is  a  fight  on  of  some  sort,"  he  thought, 
but  could  not  locate  the  direction  of  the  shots  with 
any  degree  of  accuracy.  "  I  trust  Ralph  is  out  of 
danger." 

He  walked  along  the  ravine,  looking  for  some 
convenient  spot  where  he  might  ascend  to  the  level 
of  the  timber  beyond,  until  he  came  to  where  there 
was  a  split  in  the  hollow.  Here,  in  the  centre  of 
the  ravine,  was  a  huge  pile  of  rocks,  overgrown 
with  a  tangle  of  vines  and  thorns,  which  hid  a  cave 
of  fair  dimensions.  In  those  days  this  cave  was 
known  to  the  Indians  as  the  Haunted  Rock.  It 
is  said  that  many  a  Mexican  trader  was  lured  there, 
only  to  be  killed  and  robbed. 

As  Dan  was  passing  the  cave  he  saw,  with  much 
surprise,  a  Mexican  soldier  leading  two  mustangs 
into  the  opening.  Each  saw  the  other  at  the  same 
time,  and  instantly  the  Mexican  set  up  a  shout  in 
Spanish,  and,  letting  go  of  the  horses,  levelled  a 
pistol  at  the  boy's  head. 

Dan  did  not  understand  the  Spanish,  but  he 
understood  the  motion  of  the  soldier. 


164  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"Don't  shoot!"  he  cried.  "I  am  unarmed!" 
And  he  held  up  his  hands  to  verify  his  statement. 

"  You  surrender  ? "  asked  the  Mexican,  in  broken 
English. 

"  I  suppose  I'll  have  to,"  answered  Dan.  "  But 
what  are  you  doing  here,  and  why  do  you  wish  to 
make  me  a  prisoner  ?     I  am  not  a  soldier." 

At  this  the  Mexican  shrugged  his  bony  shoulders 
and  called  out  again  in  Spanish,  whereupon  three 
other  Mexicans  showed  themselves  at  the  mouth 
of  the  cave. 

"Come  in  here,  boy,"  said  one  of  the  three, 
who  was  evidently  a  captain,  by  his  uniform. 
"Are  you  alone  ?  " 

"  I  am,"  answered  Dan,  as  he  entered  the  mouth 
of  the  cave. 

"  Where  are  the  soldiers  ? " 

"  What  soldiers  ? " 

"  The  rascally  Texans  who  were  after  us." 

"  I  know  nothing  of  any  soldiers,  captain." 

"  You  are  telling  me  the  truth  ? "  And  the 
Mexican  captain  turned  a  pair  of  piercing  black 
eyes  on  the  youth. 

"  I  am,  sir ;  I  have  seen  no  soldiers  for  a  week 
or  more,  and  they  were  nowhere  about  here." 

Dan's  frank  manner  apparently  impressed  the 
Mexican  officer  favourably,  for  he  breathed  more 
freely.  He  paused  for  a  moment,  as  if  in  deep 
thought. 


THE    CAVE  IN   THE  RAVINE.  l6$ 

"  What  brought  you  here,  boy  ? " 

In  a  few  simple  words  Dan  told  his  tale.  When 
he  mentioned  the  white  mustang,  two  of  the  Mexi- 
cans smiled. 

"I  saw  him,"  said  one.  "He  was, running  like 
the  wind,  — directly  for  those  soldiers,  too." 

"And  who  are  the  soldiers  you  speak  about?" 
asked  Dan. 

"  It  is  not  for  you  to  ask  questions,"  answered 
the  captain,  abruptly.  "  Sit  down  on  yonder  rock 
and  keep  quiet.  A  noise  might  betray  us,  and 
then  it  might  become  necessary  to  put  a  bullet  in 
you." 

As  there  was  no  help  for  it,  Dan  walked  still 
farther  into  the  cave,  and  sank  down  on  the  rock 
pointed  out.  He  noted  that  there  were  but  four 
of  the  Mexicans,  and  that  each  had  a  mustang  that 
seemed  to  be  much  exhausted. 

"  I  reckon  I  am  worse  off  than  I  was  before," 
was  his  mental  comment,  after  reviewing  the 
situation.  "These  chaps  are  evidently  in  hid- 
ing, and  they  won't  let  me  go  for  fear  of 
exposing  them.  Well,  I  sha'n't  stay  any  longer 
than  I  have  to." 

In  the  matter  of  eating,  the  Mexicans  were  as 
badly  off  as  the  youth.  "  You  have  had  nothing, 
eh  ? "  said  one.  "  Well,  we  are  just  as  hungry, 
and  perhaps  more  so.  It  cannot  be  helped,  and 
we  must  make  the  best  of  it." 


1 66  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"But  we  can't  remain  here  and  starve  to 
death, "    insisted    Dan. 

At  this  the  Mexican  drew  up  his  face  into  a 
scowl  and  turned  away.  To  comfort  themselves, 
the  men  smoked  cigarettes  incessantly,  being  used 
to  the  tobacco  habit  from  childhood.  Dan  had  as 
yet  found  no  comfort  in  the  use  of  the  weed. 

While  two  of  the  Mexicans  remained  in  the  cave 
to  care  for  the  mustangs,  the  others  went  out  on 
guard,  one  stationing  himself  just  above  the  open- 
ing and  the  other  below.  The  numerous  rocks 
afforded  both  excellent  hiding-places. 

From  those  in  care  of  the  mustangs  Dan  learned 
but  little,  yet,  during  the  Mexicans'  talk,  the  youth 
managed  to  gain  a  bit  of  information  which  led 
him  to  believe  that  there  had  been  a  battle,  and 
the  four  had  become  separated  from  their  com- 
panions and  had  been  pursued.  The  Mexicans 
thought  to  remain  in  the  cave  until  night,  and 
then  escape  under  cover  of  the  darkness. 

As  the  hours  went  by  Dan  became  more 
hungry,  and  with  this  empty  feeling  came  one 
of  desperation.  He  must  escape,  be  the  cost 
what  it  might. 

"  If  only  I  could  collar  one  of  their  mustangs, 
and  get  away  on  it,"  he  thought.  "  Perhaps  I 
might  find  those  soldiers  and  have  the  Mexicans 
made  prisoners." 

The  more  he  thought  of  this  plan  the  more  did 


THE    CAVE   IN  THE  RAVINE.  1 67 

it  appeal  to  him,  and  then  he  cast  about  for  some 
means  of  putting  it  into  operation. 

The  chance  came  shortly  before  sundown.  A 
distant  shot  was  heard,  and  the  two  Mexicans  in 
the  cave  hurried  to  join  their  companions,  to  learn 
what  it  might  mean.  Dan  had  cast  himself  down 
as  if  asleep,  and  one  of  the  soldiers  did  not,  there- 
fore, pick  up  his  gun  as  he  hurried  past  the  entrance 
of  the  cave. 

No  sooner  were  the  men  out  of  sight,  than  Dan 
leaped  upon  the  back  of  the  nearest  mustang,  and 
turned  him  straight  for  the  entrance.  He  made 
the  animal  do  his  best  from  the  start,  yet,  as  he 
passed  the  entrance  to  the  cave,  he  hung  out  from 
the  saddle  and  managed  to  pick  up  the  gun  that 
rested  against  the  wall. 

"  He  is  escaping  !  "  cried  one  of  the  Mexicans,  in 
Spanish,  and  leaped  in  front  of  the  mustang.  The 
next  instant  the  horse  knocked  him  flat  and  galloped 
over  his  body. 

The  Mexicans  were  bewildered,  for,  on  the 
brink  of  the  ravine,  one  of  them  had  caught 
sight  of  several  Texan  soldiers  in  the  distance. 
If  they  fired  on  Dan,  they  would  betray  them- 
selves, and,  if  they  did  not,  the  youth  would  surely 
escape. 

"  After  him !  "  cried  the  captain,  and  two  of  the 
soldiers  made  a  dash  for  the  boy.  But  they  might 
have  as  well  tried  to  catch  the  wind,  for  the  mus- 


1 68  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

tang  was  fresh  from  his  rest,  and  Dan  made  him 

do  his  level  best. 

Then  along  the  ravine  sped  animal  and  boy,  Dan 
riding  as  never  before,  and  expecting  a  shot  at  any 
moment.  He  knew  not  where  he  was  going,  and 
hardly  cared,  so  long  as  he  made  his  escape  from 
the  Mexicans. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

FLIGHT   AND    PURSUIT. 

Lieutenant  Radbury's  party  had  come  up  to 
the  ravine  at  a  point  opposite  to  the  cave,  about 
half  an  hour  before  Dan  attempted  to  make  his 
escape. 

"I  see  nothing  of  the  Mexicans  here,"  he 
remarked  to  Poke  Stover,  as  he  swept  the  ravine 
from  one  end  to  the  other  with  his  well-trained 
eye. 

"  No  more  do  I  see  anything,"  answered  the  old 
frontiersman.  "But  they  may  be  behind  yonder 
rocks,  leftenant.  If  ye  say  the  word,  I'll  climb 
down  and  scout  around  a  bit." 

"There  is  a  cave  among  yonder  rocks,"  put  in 
another  of  the  Texans.  "  It  is  called  Haunted 
Rock  by  the  Indians.  The  Comanches  used  to 
use  it  as  a  meeting-place  when  they  were  out 
for  plunder.  I've  often  heard  old  Si  Bilkens  tell 
about  it." 

"I  have  heard  of  such  a  cave,"  answered 
Amos  Radbury.  "  If  the  Mexicans  knew  of  it, 
they  might  think  it  just  the  right  sort  of  a 
169 


170  FOR    THE  LIBERTY   OF  TEXAS. 

hiding-place.  Yes,  Poke,  you  can  scout  around. 
But  be  careful.  They  may  be  watching  for  a 
shot." 

The  frontiersman  nodded,  to  show  that  he 
understood,  and  went  off  immediately  on  foot, 
it  being  impossible  to  go  down  the  ravine's  side 
on  mustang-back,  no  matter  how  sure-footed  the 
animal  might  be. 

The  descent  into  the  ravine  took  time,  and  Poke 
Stover  was  still  some  distance  from  the  cave's 
entrance  when  he  heard  a  commotion  among 
the  bushes  and  rocks. 

"A  mustang  a-comin'  this  way,"  he  muttered 
to  himself.  "And  somebody  ridin',  too.  It  must  be 
one  of  them  dirty  greasers  trying  to  git  away.  I'll 
cut  him  short." 

He  raised  his  rifle,  and  stepped  out  into  the 
open  to  get  a  better  aim.  Then  of  a  sudden 
his  weapon  dropped  to  his  side. 

"  Dan  !  Dan  Radbury  !  What  in  thunder  are 
you  doing  out  here  ?  " 

At  first  Dan  did  not  hear  the  call,  for  the  hoof- 
strokes  of  the  mustang  made  considerable  noise  on 
the  rocks  over  which  he  was  clattering.  But  then 
the  youth  caught  sight  of  the  old  frontiersman  and 
his  face  beamed  with  joy. 

"  Poke  Stover !  and  is  it  really  you  ? "  he 
exclaimed. 

"  Yes.     What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 


FLIGHT  AND  PURSUIT.  171 

"  I  just  escaped  from  four  Mexican  soldiers,  who 
are  hiding  in  a  cave  up  the  ravine." 

"  The  greasers  we  are  after  !  " 

"  Are  you  after  them  ?  They  said  something 
about  being  followed." 

"  Yes,  I  am  after  them,  and  so  is  your  father, 
who  is  in  command  of  our  party." 

"  Father  !     Where  is  he  ? " 

"At  the  top  of  the  ravine  —  in  that  direction," 
and  Poke  Stover  pointed  it  out.  "  He  jest  sent 
me  out  to  do  a  bit  o'  scoutin'." 

"  To  locate  the  greasers  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  I  can  tell  you  all  about  them.  They  are  at 
the  cave  on  guard.  I  took  this  mustang  from 
them,  and  also  this  musket." 

"Then  thar  won't  be  no  need  fer  me  to  scout 
any  more,  Dan,  and  we  might  as  well  join  the 
rest,"  answered  Poke  Stover.  "  We  must  capture 
them  greasers." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  go  after  them  ? " 

Stover  told  the  particulars  as  they  were  climb- 
ing out  of  the  ravine,  Dan  leading  the  mustang  by 
the  head.  In  a  short  while,  the  youth  was  with 
his  father. 

Of  course  the  parent  was  astonished  to  find  his 
son  in  this  wilderness,  so  many  miles  from  the 
ranch  home,  and  Dan  had  to  tell  his  story  in 
detail. 


172  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  safe,"  said  Amos  Radbury. 
«  But  what  of  Ralph  ?  " 

"  I  can  tell  you  nothing  of  him,  father." 

"We  saw  the  white  mustang  twice,  but  nothing 
of  him,"  added  Amos  Radbury,  thoughtfully.  And 
then  he  decided  to  go  on  a  hunt  for  his  boy  as 
soon  as  the  affair  of  the  four  Mexicans  was 
settled. 

To  the  others  Dan  pointed  out  the  exact  loca- 
tion of  the  cave,  and  the  entire  party  drew  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  the  opening,  without  exposing 
themselves.  The  Mexicans,  also,  kept  out  of 
sight. 

"We  are  now  eleven  to  four,"  said  Amos  Rad- 
bury. "  I  believe  if  they  understood  the  matter, 
they  would  surrender,  rather  than  risk  being  shot." 

"  If  they  won't  surrender  I  know  what  you  can 
easily  do,"  returned  Dan. 

"  And  what  is  that  ? " 

"  Starve  them  out.  They  are  all  as  hungry  as 
bears,  —  and  so  am  I,  for  the  matter  of  that." 

"An  excellent  idea.  But  if  you  are  hungry, 
here  are  rations  in  the  saddle-bags,"  and  Dan  was 
speedily  supplied  with  sufficient  food  to  stay  his 
hunger  for  the  time  being. 

One  of  the  party,  who  could  talk  Spanish  flu- 
ently, was  now  ordered  to  show  a  white  hand- 
kerchief tied  to  a  stick,  and  this  he  did,  moving 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  ravine  for  that  purpose. 


FLIGHT  AND  PURSUIT.  1 73 

At  first,  owing,  probably,  to  the  darkness,  the 
Mexicans  did  not  see  the  flag  of  truce,  but  at  last 
the  captain  came  forward,  and  demanded  to  know 
what  was  wanted. 

"  We  want  you  to  surrender,"  said  the  Texan. 

"  We  will  not  do  so,  and  you  will  attack  us  at 
your  peril,"  was  the  Mexican's  sharp  reply. 

"  You  are  but  four,  while  we  number  twelve." 

"We  will  fight,  even  so,  sefior.  A  Mexican 
never  surrenders." 

"  What  if  we  starve  you  out  ?  " 

"  You  cannot  do  that.  Still,  you  may  try  it,  if 
you  wish,"  continued  the  capitan,  hurriedly.  If  the 
Americans  tried  starving  them  out,  it  would  give 
them  time  in  which  to  perfect  some  plan  for 
escape. 

The  talk  continued  for  several  minutes,  and  then 
the  Texan  came  back  with  the  information  that  the 
enemy  would  agree  to  nothing. 

"  He's  willing  to  be  starved  out,"  went  on  the 
ranger.  "  But  I  think  he  wants  the  chance  to  get 
away  in  the  darkness." 

"  We  will  draw  closer  to  the  cave  as  the  dark- 
ness settles  down,"  answered  Amos  Radbury. 
This  was  the  first  time,  as  an  officer,  that  he  had 
been  sent  out  on  a  commission,  and  he  was  resolved 
not  to  fail. 

The  night  came  on  swiftly.  Evidently  a  storm 
was  brewing,  for  not  a  star  lit  up  the  heavens. 


174  F0R    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  We'll  catch  it,  in  more  ways  than  one,  soon," 
said  Stover  to  Dan,  suggestively. 

The  Texans  had  had  a  small  fire,  but  now  this 
was  deserted,  and  the  party  moved  down  into  the 
ravine  on  foot. 

Just  as  the  first  rain  of  the  coming  storm  began 
to  fall,  one  of  the  men  of  the  party  set  up  a  shout. 

"  There  they  go  !  " 

He  was  right.  The  Mexicans  were  making  a 
mad  dash  for  liberty  up  the  ravine,  the  four  men 
on  three  mustangs. 

"  Fire  at  them  !  "  ordered  Lieutenant  Radbury, 
and  instantly  half  a  dozen  shots  rang  out.  None 
of  the  enemy  was  hit,  but  two  of  the  mustangs 
pitched  headlong,  carrying  three  of  the  riders  down 
with  them.  The  fourth  Mexican,  the  captain,  con- 
tinued on  his  way,  forcing  his  steed  along  at  a 
greater  pace  than  ever. 

Before  those  on  the  ground  could  rise,  they 
found  themselves  surrounded. 

"  Surrender  ! "  cried  Lieutenant  Radbury.  "  Sur- 
render, or  we  must  shoot  you  down  !  " 

"  I  surrender  ! "  cried  one  of  the  Mexicans. 
"  No  shoot  me  !  "     And  he  held  up  his  hands. 

But  the  others  were  game,  so  to  speak,  and,  ris- 
ing, they  discharged  their  muskets,  and  continued 
their  flight  on  foot.  They  had  scarcely  gone  a 
dozen  steps,  when  the  Texans  opened  fire  again, 
and  one  dropped,  shot  through  the  heart.     The 


FLIGHT  AND  PURSUIT.  1 75 

second  man  was  wounded,  but  kept  on  and  disap- 
peared up  the  side  of  the  ravine,  in  a  thick  pine 
brake,  where  all  was  now  pitch  dark. 

"  Make  that  man  a  close  prisoner !  "  shouted 
Lieutenant  Radbury  to  two  of  his  followers. 
"  Come  on !  "  and  he  dashed  away  after  the  Mexi- 
can captain.  Several,  including  Poke  Stover  and 
Dan,  followed  him,  while  others  went  after  the 
fellow  in  the  pine  brake. 

It  was  largely  a  go-as-you-please  hunt,  for,  as 
mentioned  before,  the  army  was  not  yet  sworn  in, 
and  every  man  felt  that  he  could  do  about  as  he 
wished. 

Before  leaving  the  Mexican  who  had  surren- 
dered, Lieutenant  Radbury  had  appropriated  his 
horse,  consequently  he  readily  outdistanced  those 
who  followed.  But  he  could  not  catch  his 
man,  although  he  got  close  enough  to  note 
that  the  fellow  left  the  ravine  where  there  was 
a  cut  upward,  and  took  to  the  timber  on  the 
north. 

"  We  can't  follow  him  in  this  darkness,"  said 
Amos  Radbury.  "We  will  have  to  wait  until 
morning.  It  is  raining  now,  and  probably  there 
will  be  an  easy  trail  to  follow." 

They  returned  to  the  others,  and  then  the  entire 
party  went  into  camp  in  the  cave  the  Mexicans  had 
just  vacated,  the  horses  being  also  brought  in,  to 
keep  them  out  of  the  storm,  for  it  was  now  raining 


176     FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

in  torrents.  A  fire  was  kindled  and  a  warm  supper 
prepared. 

"Two  out  o'  four,"  declared  Poke  Stover. 
"That  wasn't  so  bad,  after  all." 

The  captured  Mexican  was  questioned,  and  said 
the  missing  officer  was  Captain  Arguez,  from  Santa 
Cruz. 

"  He  belongs  to  a  most  noble  family,"  said  the 
prisoner.     "  He  will  never  give  up." 

"  He  will  if  I  lay  my  hands  on  him,"  said  Amos 
Radbury,  quietly. 

Both  father  and  son  were  much  worried  over 
Ralph,  and  wondered  what  had  become  of  him. 
It  was  agreed  that  while  looking  for  Captain 
Arguez  they  should  hunt  for  the  boy  also. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

WHAT    HAPPENED     TO    RALPH. 

"  I'm  lost,  and  that  is  all  there  is  to  it ! " 

Ralph  sat  on  the  back  of  his  mustang  the  pic- 
ture of  dismay.  He  had  tried  to  follow  his  big 
brother  and  had  failed,  and  had  spent  the  night  on 
the  bank  of  the  ravine,  but  at  a  point  several  miles 
from  the  cave. 

Ralph  was  not  nearly  as  well  versed  in  wood- 
craft as  his  big  brother,  and  he  hardly  knew  how 
to  turn  or  what  to  do.  All  about  him  was  one 
vast  wilderness,  and  the  silence  and  loneliness 
made  him  shiver  in  spite  of  himself. 

"  If  I  only  knew  what  had  become  of  him,"  he 
said,  over  and  over.  "  But  perhaps  he  is  dead  !  " 
And  the  tears  started  to  his  eyes. 

He  had  eaten  nothing  since  the  evening  before, 
but  he  was  too  worried  now  to  satisfy  the  cravings 
of  his  stomach.  He  had  his  own  mustang  and 
that  of  Dan  with  him,  and  they  were  feasting 
on  the  rich  grass  close  at  hand.  Procuring  a 
drink  at  a  stream  near  by,  he  watered  the  animals 
and  set  forth  once  again  on  the  hunt. 
177 


178  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

The  day  drifted  by  swiftly,  and  Ralph  found 
neither  Dan  nor  the  way  out  of  the  belt  of  timber. 
He  was  now  weak  from  so  much  travelling,  and 
was  compelled  to  rest  and  partake  of  the  scant 
lunch  still  left  in  the  hamper  Pompey  had  provided. 

As  night  came  on  so  did  the  storm,  and  with  the 
first  fall  of  rain  he  sought  shelter  under  some  over- 
hanging rocks  near  the  top  of  one  side  of  the 
ravine. 

It  was  anything  but  a  pleasant  position,  and  no 
wonder  Ralph  wished  himself  safe  at  home  again. 

The  storm  increased  until  the  rain  came  down 
in  a  deluge,  forming  a  good-sized  stream  in  the 
basin  of  the  ravine.  Ralph  was  thankful  that 
there  was  but  little  thunder  and  lightning. 

Having  found  a  dry  place  in  a  corner  of  the 
rocks,  he  was  on  the  point  of  falling  into  a  doze 
when  a  clatter  not  far  off  aroused  him. 

"  It  must  be  Dan,"  he  thought.  "  Dan  !  Dan  !  " 
he  cried,  starting  up.     "  Is  that  you  ?  " 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice  the  clatter  ceased,  and 
only  the  violence  of  the  storm  broke  the  stillness. 
Then  Ralph  called  again,  that  his  brother  might 
not  go  astray. 

"  Who  calls  ?  "  The  voice  was  a  strange  one, 
and  the  words  were  spoken  with  a  Spanish  accent. 
Ralph  fell  back  in  dismay,  but  it  was  too  late,  and 
soon  the  newcomer  showed  himself,  riding  a  jaded 
steed,  and  carrying  a  long  horse-pistol  in  his  hand. 


WHAT  HAPPENED    TO   RALPH.  1 79 

"  Ha,  boy,  are  you  alone  ?  "  demanded  the  man, 
who  was  none  other  than  Captain  Arguez. 

"  I  am,"  answered  Ralph. 

"And  what  brought  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  was  out  looking  for  a  lost  mustang,  and 
missed  my  way." 

"  Ha,  that  is  what  the  other  boy  told  me !  " 
muttered  Captain  Arguez,  half  savagely. 

"  The  other  boy  ?  Then  you  have  seen  my 
brother  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Where  is  he  now  ? " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you.  He  ran  away,  taking  one 
of  my  soldier's  mustangs." 

"But  I  don't  understand,"  stammered  Ralph. 
"  Are  you  a  Mexican  army  officer  ? " 

"  I  am." 

"And  Dan  was  with  you  ? " 

"  I  think  he  fell  in  with  us  by  accident,  and  he 
got  away  just  as  we  were  having  a  brush  with  some 
of  your  accursed  Americans."  The  Mexican  cap- 
tain looked  around  suspiciously.  "  You  are  quite 
sure  you  are  alone  ?  " 

"Yes,  senor." 

"You  have  two  ponies." 

"  One  belongs  to  my  brother.  He  got  on  the 
white  mustang,  —  the  one  that  ran  away,  —  and 
that  is  the  last  I  saw  of  him.  You  have  no  idea 
where  he  is  now  ?  " 


180  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"Probably  with  the  Texans  who  attacked  my 
party." 

"  And  where  are  they  ? " 

Captain  Arguez's  brow  grew  dark.  "You  are 
asking  too  many  questions  for  a  mere  boy,"  he 
growled.  "  I  do  not  know  where  they  are,  nor 
do  I  care,  so  long  as  they  do  not  bother  me  any 
more,"  and  in  this  he  spoke  the  exact  truth.  He 
cared  nothing  for  his  men,  and  wished  only  to  get 
back  to  San  Antonio  in  safety. 

The  Mexican  had  had  nothing  to  eat  through- 
out the  day,  and  was  glad  enough  to  avail  himself 
of  what  little  was  left  in  the  hamper.  Then  he 
put  his  mustang  beside  the  others,  and  made  him- 
self as  comfortable  as  possible  near  Ralph. 

"  Do  you  know  the  way  to  Bexar  ? "  he  de- 
manded. 

Ralph  shook  his  head.  "  I  don't  know  the  way 
anywhere  ;  I  am  totally  lost." 

"  From  whence  do  you  come  ? " 

"From  the  Guadalupe  River,  at  least  thirty  or 
forty  miles  from  here." 

"  Then  I  must  be  almost  as  far  from  Bexar  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  perhaps  farther." 

"  It  is  too  bad  !  I  was  foolish.  But  let  that 
pass,  what  is  done  cannot  be  undone." 

Captain  Arguez  had  relapsed  into  Spanish,  so 
Ralph  did  not  understand  his  last  words.  He 
remained  silent,  wondering  what  the  officer  would 


WHA  T  HAPPENED    TO  RALPH.  1 8  I 

say  next.  But  instead  of  talking,  the  Mexican 
rolled  a  cigarette,  and  began  smoking  vigorously. 

Ralph  was  sleepy,  and  in  spite  of  his  repeated 
attempts  to  keep  awake,  he  soon  dozed  off,  and 
then  fell  into  a  sound  slumber,  from  which  he  did 
not  rouse  up  until  daylight. 

The  captain  was  asleep,  snoring  loudly,  and  with 
a  half-smoked  cigarette  between  his  fingers.  At 
first  Ralph  thought  to  leave  without  disturbing 
him,  but  no  sooner  had  the  boy  risen  to  his  feet 
than  the  Mexican  opened  his  eyes  and  stared 
about  him. 

"  So  it  is  morning  ? "  he  muttered.  "  Very  good. 
Let  us  be  on  our  way." 

"I  do  not  know  which  way  to  go,"  returned 
Ralph. 

"That  is  easily  answered,  boy.  You  will  go 
with  me." 

"With  you?" 

"  Yes.     I  am  lonely  and  want  company." 

"  But  you  are  going  to  San  Antonio  de  Bexar." 

"  You  are  right.  It  is  an  ancient  Mexican  town, 
and  there  you  will  be  quite  safe." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  go  there,  —  I  want  to  go 
home." 

"  You  will  be  better  off  with  me ;  anyway,  you 
must  come  on.  If  I  let  you  out  of  my  sight,  and 
you  fall  in  with  those  Americans,  you  will  betray 
me  to  them.     Come,  we  must  lose  no  time." 


1 82  FOR    THE    LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

Ralph  attempted  to  argue,  but  the  Mexican 
officer  would  not  listen,  and  soon  they  were  in 
the  saddle,  riding  side  by  side,  and  with  the  extra 
mustang  behind.  Captain  Arguez  had  noted  how 
the  water  was  flowing  in  the  ravine,  and  now  he 
crossed  the  hollow,  and  struck  out  down  the 
water-course,  but  on  the  opposite  side  to  where 
the  Texans  had  encamped. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Ralph  felt  more 
downhearted  than  ever.  It  was  true  he  had 
wished  for  company,  but  this  Mexican  was  not 
desirable,  and  the  thought  of  being  taken  to  the 
fortified  town  filled  him  with  dismay. 

Yet  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  he  rode  along 
as  directed,  and  thus  they  journeyed  for  many 
miles,  until  they  struck  a  road  leading  directly 
into  San  Antonio.  Here  Captain  Arguez  met  the 
Mexican  who  had  escaped  into  the  brush,  and  the 
two  compared  notes,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
both,  along  with  Ralph,  made  a  long  detour  to  the 
north  and  the  west. 

Once  on  the  way  the  party  passed  several 
Indians,  but  no  words  were  exchanged.  In  this 
party  was  Big  Foot,  the  Comanche,  who  had  been 
nursed  at  the  Radbury  ranch,  but  Ralph  did  not 
recognise  the  red  man,  for  he  was  too  far  away. 

The  storm  had  let  up  a  little  during  the  day, 
but  now  as  night  came  on  it  broke  forth  once 
more,  as  furiously  as  ever. 


WHAT  HAPPENED    TO  RALPH.  1 83 

"This  just  suits  me,"  said  Captain  Arguez. 
"It  will  wet  us  to  the  skin,  to  be  sure,  but  it 
will  put  the  Texans  off  their  guard." 

Once  during  the  afternoon  Ralph  had  thought 
to  escape,  but  the  captain  had  threatened  to  shoot 
him  on  the  spot,  and  the  attempt  had  amounted  to 
nothing.  The  boy's  weapons  had  been  taken  from 
him,  and  the  mustang  belonging  to  Dan  had  been 
appropriated  by  the  Mexican  private. 

The  private  knew  the  vicinity  of  San  Antonio 
well,  and  said  they  had  better  halt  at  a  certain 
gully  until  two  or  three  in  the  morning.  This 
was  done,  and  by  four  o'clock  they  were  safely 
inside  of  San  Antonio  without  the  Texan  pickets 
being  the  wiser,  the  rain  and  darkness  proving  the 
Mexicans'  best  ally. 

As  soon  as  he  was  safe,  Captain  Arguez  went  to 
headquarters  to  report,  taking  the  private  and 
Ralph  with  him.  Ralph  was  put  in  a  side  room 
of  the  quarters,  and  left  under  guard  for  several 
hours. 

"We  have  resolved  to  keep  you  here  for  the 
present,"  said  the  soldier,  who  came  to  him  at 
last. 

"Keep  me  here!"  gasped  Ralph.  "What 
for  ?  Surely  you  don't  count  me  a  prisoner  of 
war  ?  " 

"  Captain  Arguez  is  convinced  that  your  brother 
was  a  spy,  and  that  you  will  help  him  if  you  can. 


184  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

It   will,  therefore,  be   safer   for  us  to  keep  you 
here." 

This  was  all  the  satisfaction  Ralph  could  get, 
and  soon  after  he  was  marched  away  to  the  San 
Antonio  jail,  there  to  remain  for  some  time  to 
come. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  ATTACK  ON  SAN  ANTONIO. 

"This  looks  like  a  hopeless  task,  father." 

"  So  it  does,  Dan,  but  while  I  am  willing  to  give 
up  looking  for  that  Mexican  captain,  I  am  not 
willing  to  give  up   looking  for   Ralph." 

"  Nor  I.  But  the  question  is,  which  way  shall 
we  turn  next  ?  " 

Amos  Radbury  shook  his  head  slowly.  The 
party  had  been  out  in  the  timber  two  days,  and, 
though  they  had  followed  several  trails,  it  had 
availed  them  nothing. 

"  Perhaps  Ralph  went  back  to  the  ranch," 
suggested    Poke    Stover. 

"  We  found  no  trail  leading  in  that  direction," 
said  Lieutenant  Radbury. 

"  That  is  true,  but  he  might  have  gone  back, 
even  so,  lef tenant." 

Amos  Radbury  shook  his  head  slowly.     "You 
only  wish  to  give  me  a  little  encouragement,  Poke," 
he  said,  with  a  sad  smile.     "  I  am  afraid  he  has 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians." 
18s 


1 86  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  Talk  about  Indians,  here  come  several  Indians 
now,"  put  in  Dan,  who  was  riding  beside  his  father. 
"They  look  like  Comanches,  too." 

The  red  men,  who  were  three  in  number,  had 
appeared  at  the  brow  of  a  small  hill.  Now,  on 
discovering  the  whites,  they  seemed  on  the  point 
of  turning  to  run  away. 

One,  however,  gave  the  Texans  a  searching  look, 
and  then  his  face  lit  up  with  satisfaction.  He 
came  running  toward  Dan,  holding  up  both  hands 
in  token  of  peace. 

"  Big  Foot ! "  exclaimed  the  youth,  as  he 
recognised  the  Indian. 

"  Good  Dan,"  answered  the  Indian.  "  I  g/ad  I 
see  you.  How  !  How !  "  and  he  looked  at  Amos 
Radbury  and  the  others. 

"  I  reckon  this  is  the  critter  ye  nursed  at  the 
ranch,"  remarked  Stover. 

"It  is,"  answered  Dan.  He  turned  to  the 
Indian.     "  So  you  are  glad  to  see  me,  eh  ? " 

"Yes,  much  glad."  The  Indian  looked  at  one 
and  another  of  the  party.  "  Where  little  brudder 
Raf?" 

"  Ralph  is  missing,"  put  in  Lieutenant  Radbury ; 
and  then  added,  quickly,  "  Do  you  know  anything 
of  him,  Big  Foot  ? " 

The  Indian  nodded  slowly. 

"  You  do  !  " 

"  Yes,  see  little  Raf  wid  Mexican  soldiers." 


THE   ATTACK  ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  1 87 

"  With  the  Mexican  soldiers  !  "  cried  father  and 
son,  simultaneously.     "  You  are  certain  ? " 

The  Indian  nodded  again. 

"When  was  this  ? " 

As  well  as  he  could,  with  his  limited  knowledge 
of  English,  Big  Foot  told  of  the  meeting  with 
Captain  Arguez,  the  Mexican  private,  and  Ralph. 
"  They  all  go  into  Bexar,"  he  concluded. 

"Then  Ralph  is  a  prisoner  of  the  enemy,"  said 
Amos  Radbury. 

"  But  will  they  hold  a  mere  boy  like  that  ? " 
snorted  Poke  Stover.  "  It  seems  to  me  thet  ain't 
human  nater,  nohow." 

"  The  Mexicans  will  do  anything  to  harass 
the  Texans,"  answered  the  lieutenant,  quietly. 
"  I  don't  know  but  what  I  would  rather  have 
Ralph  a  prisoner  in  Bexar  than  lost  in  the 
timber  or  in  the  hands  of  some  treacherous 
Indians." 

"If  only  we  could  get  into  Bexar  after  him/' 
sighed  Dan. 

"We'll  get  in  pretty  soon,"  returned  another 
member  of  the  party.  "  I  heard  old  Ben  Milam 
say  that  if  our  troops  didn't  start  pretty  soon  he'd 
form  an  attack  on  his  own  account." 

Big  Foot  was  anxious  to  learn  what  all  the 
trouble  was  about,  and  Dan  explained  to  the 
Indian.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  talk  Big  Foot 
stared  stolidly  at  Dan  for  fully  ten  seconds. 


1 88  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  You  say  so,  Big  Foot  go  into  Bexar  an'  hunt 
out  little  Raf,"  he  said  at  last. 

"  Oh,  will  you  ?  "  cried  Dan.  "  It  will  be  very 
kind." 

"  Big  Foot  not  so  kind  as  Good  Dan,"  returned 
the  Indian.  "Yes,  will  go  right  now.  Where 
Big  Foot  find  Good  Dan  if  have  news  for  him  ? " 

"At  the  camp  of  the  Texan  army,"  answered 
Dan,  before  his  father  could  speak.  Then  he 
turned  to  his  parent.  "  Father,  you  must  let  me 
go  with  you.     I  am  sure  I  am  old  enough  to  fight." 

"  Why,  Dan,  you  are  but  a  boy  !  " 

"I  think  I  can  fight  as  well  as  some  of  the 
men,"  said  the  youth,  boldly.  "I  am  a  pretty 
good  shot,  and  I  wouldn't  be  a  coward  and  run," 
he  added,  earnestly.  "  I  don't  want  to  go  back  to 
the  ranch  alone." 

"  But  life  in  the  army  is  no  easy  thing,  my  son. 
We  may  have  untold  hardships  before  this  struggle 
comes  to  an  end." 

"  I  am  willing  to  take  what  comes.  Please  say 
I  can  go." 

Amos  Radbury  could  not  resist  his  son's  appeal, 
especially  as  he  was  glad  to  have  the  boy  where  he 
might  have  an  eye  on  him.  So  it  was  settled  that 
Dan  should  accompany  his  parent ;  and  thus  did 
the  youth  become  a  soldier  to  fight  for  the  liberty 
of  Texas. 

A  while  later    Big    Foot    left,   stating  that  he 


THE   ATTACK   ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  1 89 

would  endeavour  to  get  into  San  Antonio  that 
night,  and  the  party  under  the  lieutenant  rode  off 
to  the  camp  of  the  Texan  army.  Here  Amos 
Radbury  reported  what  he  had  done,  and  there, 
for  the  time  being,  matters  rested. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Texan  army  had  moved 
slightly  closer  to  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  but,  as 
yet,  nothing  had  been  done  toward  storming  the 
town.  Volunteers  came  and  went,  and  the  army 
lacked  so  much  of  complete  organisation  that  the 
leaders  hesitated  upon  opening  an  attack  upon 
such  a  force  as  General  Cos  had  under  him. 

"If  we  lose,  the  Texan  cause  is  lost  for  ever," 
said  one  of  the  leaders.  "We  cannot  afford  to 
put  up  the  stake  at  this  time." 

Bowie,  Crockett,  and  other  scouts  were  off 
doing  duty  of  another  kind,  otherwise  the  attack 
might  have  opened  without  delay.  But  now  the 
old  veterans,  especially  those  of  the  war  of  1812, 
became  impatient,  and  among  these  was  old  Ben 
Milam,  previously  mentioned.  One  day  Milam 
could  contain  himself  no  longer,  and,  rushing  out 
in  front  of  the  general  headquarters,  he  swung 
his  hat  into  the  air,  and  shouted  at  the  top  of 
his  lungs,  "Who  will  follow  old  Ben  Milam  into 
Bexar  ? " 

"  I  will !  "  "I  will !  "  came  from  a  score  of 
throats,  and  soon  over  a  hundred  men  were 
gathered  around  the  old  fighter.     In  the  number 


I9O  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

were  Amos  Radbury,  Poke  Stover,  and  a  party  of 
scouts  who  had  served  under  Crockett.  Dan,  of 
course,  followed  his  father. 

As  soon  as  it  was  learned  how  enthusiastic  the 
soldiers  were,  it  was  decided  that  Milam's  party 
should  meet  on  the  following  day  at  an  old  mill 
near  the  camp.  At  this  mill  the  company  of  vol- 
unteers numbered  exactly  three  hundred  and  one, 
and  this  force  was  divided  into  two  divisions,  the 
first  under  Milam  and  the  second  under  Colonel 
Frank  W.  Johnson. 

"  We  will  move  on  the  town  about  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,"  said  Colonel  Milam,  and  this  was 
done,  the  first  division  going  down  Acequia  Street 
and  the  second  taking  to  Soledad  Street.  Both 
streets  led  directly  to  the  main  plaza  of  San 
Antonio,  and  each  was  heavily  barricaded  and 
swept   by  General  Cos's  artillery. 

The  two  divisions  moved  with  caution,  but  as 
they  crept  along  between  the  low-lying  stone 
houses  a  Mexican  sentinel  saw  the  body  under 
Johnson,  and  gave  the  alarm. 

"  We  are  discovered  ! "  came  the  cry,  and  the 
next  instant  the  rifle  of  Deaf  Smith  spoke  up,  and 
the  sentinel  fell  dead  where  he  had  stood. 

Further  attempts  at  concealment  were  now  use- 
less, and  both  divisions  rushed  into  the  town  as 
far  as  possible.  Johnson's  command  went  as  far 
as   the   house   of   the   vice-governor,    Veramendi, 


THE   ATTACK  ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  191 

and  here  sought  shelter  from  the  Mexicans,  who 
swarmed  down  upon  them  in  great  numbers. 

"  Dan,  take  care  of  yourself,"  cried  Lieutenant 
Radbury,  who  with  his  son  had  joined  Colonel 
Milam's  division.  "Don't  run  any  risks  if  you 
can  help  it." 

"  I'll  stick  close  to  you,  father,"  answered  Dan. 

They  were  going  down  Acequia  Street  on  a 
dead  run,  every  Texan  firing  as  rapidly  as  he  could 
reload. 

"  The  plaza !  The  plaza !  "  was  the  cry ;  but  that 
square  was  still  a  hundred  yards  off,  when  the 
Mexican  garrison  appeared,  with  their  artillery,  as 
if  ready  to  sweep  the  Texans  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Then  came  the  cry,  "  To  shelter ! "  and 
Milam's  men,  about  a  hundred  and  forty  strong, 
broke  into  the  nearest  mansion,  which  was  that  of 
De  La  Garcia. 

"  Drop !  "  The  cry  came  from  Poke  Stover, 
and  he  called  to  Amos  Radbury,  as  he  saw  a 
Mexican  in  the  act  of  picking  off  the  lieutenant 
from  the  garden  of  a  residence  opposite  to  that  of 
De  La  Garcia.  He  raised  his  gun  to  fire  on  the 
man,  but  the  weapon  was  empty. 

Dan  heard  the  cry  and  noted  where  Stover  was 
looking.  He,  too,  saw  the  Mexican  about  to  fire 
on  his  father,  and  his  heart  leaped  into  his  throat. 
Then,  by  instinct  more  than  reason,  he  raised  his 
own  gun  and  blazed  away.     Both  guns  spoke  up 


I92  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

at  once,  and  Dan  saw  the  Mexican  throw  up  his 
arms  and  fall  backward.  Then  his  father  dropped 
like  a  lump  of  lead. 

"Father!"  cried  the  boy,  hoarsely,  and  knelt 
beside  his  parent.     "  Are  you  hit  ? " 

"I  —  I  guess  not,"  stammered  Lieutenant  Rad- 
bury.  Then  he  passed  his  hand  over  his  ear  and 
withdrew  it  covered  with  blood.  "  But  I  reckon 
he  nipped  me." 

"That's  wot  he  did,"  put  in  Stover.  "But 
Dan  plugged  him  for  it,"  he  went  on,  with  much 
satisfaction. 

The  Texans  got  into  the  house  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, much  to  the  surprise  and  consternation  of  the 
family,  who  protested  in  vain  at  the  intrusion. 
Once  within,  doors  and  windows  were  barricaded, 
and  the  residence  turned  into  a  veritable  fort. 

It  was  now  growing  daylight,  and  without  delay 
the  Mexicans  began  a  furious  onslaught.  The 
crack  of  musketry  and  the  roaring  of  cannon  was 
incessant,  but  the  Texans  were  wise  enough  to 
keep  out  of  sight,  and  but  little  damage  to  human 
life  was  done.  The  Texans  stationed  themselves 
at  convenient  loopholes  and  calmly  picked  off 
every  Mexican  soldier  who  showed  himself  within 
range. 

"I  wonder  how  the  second  division  is  making 
out,"  said  Lieutenant  Radbury,  as  the  day  wore 
away   and    the   cracking   of    firearms   continued. 


THE   ATTACK  ON  SAN  ANTONIO.  1 93 

"They  seem  to  be  doing  about  as  much  firing 
as  we  are." 

"They  are  at  the  vice-governor's  house,"  an- 
nounced one  of  the  other  officers.  "We  could 
join  them  were  it  not  that  the  greasers  are  sweep- 
ing Soledad  Street  with  their  twelve-pounder." 

Rations  were  scarce  and  water  was  more  so,  yet 
the  men  under  Milam  did  not  complain.  They 
had  come  to  take  the  city,  and  they  meant  to 
do  it. 

"  I  hope  Ralph  won't  suffer  through  this," 
remarked  Dan,  while  on  guard  at  one  of  the 
loopholes,  with  his  father  not  far  away. 

"We  must  trust  for  the  best,"  answered  Amos 
Radbury,  and  breathed  a  silent  prayer  that  all 
might  go  well  with  his  younger  offspring. 

As  night  came  on  it  was  resolved  to  dig  a 
trench  across  Soledad  Street,  so  that  the  two 
divisions  might  communicate  with  each  other. 
This  was  dangerous  work,  for  the  Mexicans  kept 
a  strict  guard  and  fired  every  time  a  head  was 
exposed  to  view.  The  trench  was  started  at  each 
end  and  was  completed  long  before  daybreak. 
While  this  was  going  on  the  Mexicans  also  dug 
a  trench,  hoping  thereby  to  catch  the  Texans  in  a 
cross-fire,  but  the  scheme  failed. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

THE    SURRENDER    OF    THE    CITY. 

"  If  only  I  was  at  liberty  once  again  ! " 

Ralph  had  said  this  to  himself  over  and  over,  as 
he  sat  on  the  hard  wooden  bench  which  served 
him  both  for  a  seat  and  a  couch  in  the  little  stone 
cell  which  he  occupied  in  the  San  Antonio  lockup. 

Several  days  had  gone  by,  and  no  one  had  come 
to  see  the  youth  but  his  jailer,  who  delivered  food 
twice  a  day,  morning  and  afternoon.  The  jailer 
spoke  nothing  but  Spanish,  so  communications 
between  the  two  were  limited. 

Ralph  often  wondered  what  had  become  of  Dan 
and  the  white  mustang.  Was  his  brother  lost  in 
the  timber,  or  had  he  fallen  in  with  the  Indians  ? 

There  was  a  tiny  window  in  the  cell,  high  up 
over  the  couch.  From  this  Ralph  could  get  a 
slight  view  of  the  river  and  of  a  patch  of  sky,  and 
that  was  all. 

But  one  afternoon,  when  all  was  quiet,  Ralph 
noticed  a  shadow  at  the  window,  and,  gazing  up, 
made  out  part  of  an  Indian  face  stationed  there. 
Quickly  he  stood  on  the  bench. 
194 


THE  SURRENDER    OF   THE    CITY.  1 95 

" Big  Foot,  —  "he  began,  when  the  Indian  let 
out  a  low  hiss  of  warning. 

"  Soldier  hear  Raf,"  said  the  Indian,  in  a  whisper. 
"  Me  come  to  find  you, —  tell  fadder  and  Good  Dan 
would  do  dat." 

"  Father  and  Dan  !  "  returned  the  boy.  "  Then 
they  are  together  ? " 

"Yes,  both  in  big  army  outside  of  dis  place. 
Big  Foot  say  he  find  Raf.  Must  go  now.  Maybe 
save  Raf  soon.     You  watch  !  " 

And  then  the  Indian  disappeared  as  quickly  as 
he  had  come.  By  some  means  known  only  to 
himself,  he  had  found  out  where  Ralph  was  located, 
and  had  watched  for  thirty  hours  on  a  stretch  for 
a  chance  to  communicate  with  the  lad.  He  had 
caught  a  sentinel  off  guard,  and  had  mounted  to 
the  window  by  means  of  a  lariat  thrown  around 
one  of  the,  bars  of  the  opening.  As  he  leaped 
down,  the  sentinel  turned  in  time  to  catch  him 
winding  up  his  lariat. 

"  What  are  you  doing  there  ? "  demanded  the 
Mexican. 

"  Indian  squaw  in  dare  ? "  asked  Big  Foot, 
meekly. 

"  No,  we  do  not  keep  squaws  here,"  answered 
the  Mexican.  "  Begone,  or  I'll  shoot  you  ;"  and 
then,  as  the  Comanche  loped  off,  he  resumed  his 
cigarette  smoking. 

The    coming    of    Big    Foot    comforted    Ralph 


I96  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

greatly,  for  he  now  knew  that  Dan  was  with 
their  father,  and  that  both  were  in  the  army,  out- 
side of  San  Antonio.  That  night  he  slept 
soundly. 

He  awoke  to  hear  loud  firing,  showing  that  a 
battle  of  some  kind  had  started.  The  firing  con- 
tinued, and,  before  long,  the  lockup  was  struck  by 
a  cannon-ball,  although  little  damage  was  done. 
The  attack  created  a  great  confusion,  and  Ralph 
was  left  largely  to  himself. 

At  night,  while  the  sounds  of  firing  still  kept 
up,  Big  Foot  appeared,  with  both  his  lariat  and 
a  short  iron  bar.  Mounting  to  the  window,  in 
the  gloom,  he  called  Ralph,  and  passed  him  the 
bar. 

"Break  window  and  drop  out,"  he  whispered. 
"  Big  Foot  wait  for  you  close  to  river." 

He  fell  back,  and  with  the  bar  Ralph  set  to  work 
to  liberate  himself.  The  masonry  of  the  window 
was  old  and  loosened,  and  he  soon  had  two  of 
the  bars  out,  leaving  a  space  just  large  enough  to 
admit  of  the  passage  of  his  body. 

As  he  leaped  into  the  window-opening,  he  heard 
voices  in  the  corridor,  outside  of  the  cell.  Then 
his  jailer  and  a  Mexican  officer  appeared  at  the  cell 
door. 

"  Ha !  he  is  escaping  !  "  roared  the  jailer,  in 
Spanish.  "  Stop  ! "  And  he  ran  to  Ralph,  to 
detain   him,    but    the  boy  dropped   to  the  court 


THE  SURRENDER    OF   THE    CITY.  1 97 

outside,  and  scampered  off  as  fast  as  his  feet 
would  carry  him. 

An  alarm  at  once  sounded,  and  the  cry  arose 
that  the  prisoners  throughout  the  jail  were  rising. 
This,  of  course,  was  not  so,  yet  the  excitement 
was  great  within  the  walls,  and,  for  the  minute, 
Ralph  was  allowed  to  depart  unmolested. 

In  the  darkness  Big  Foot  joined  him,  and  thrust 
into  his  hands  a  stout  club.  "  Club  much  good, 
sometime,"  said  the  Comanche.  "  Knock  down 
Mexican,  maybe,  if  in  way." 

He  led  the  way  down  one  street  and  another, 
until  the  vicinity  of  the  plaza  was  gained. 

Suddenly,  as  they  turned  an  alleyway,  a  volley 
from  the  Mexican  garrison  was  fired. 

"  Run  !  run  !  or  get  shot !  "  shouted  the  Co- 
manche, and  then,  as  Ralph  turned  in  one  direc- 
tion, the  Indian  turned  in  another,  and,  in  a  trice, 
they  became  separated  in  the  darkness. 

Ralph  kept  on  running,  he  knew  not  where,  only 
that  he  might  escape  the  bullets,  which  appeared 
to  be  flying  in  all  directions. 

He  could  not  go  around  by  the  plaza  nor  by  the 
church,  and  so  cut  into  a  gloomy  courtyard.  Still 
running,  he  reached  the  stone  wall  of  a  house.  A 
window  was  close  at  hand,  and  he  leaped  through 
this,  to  pitch  headlong  on  the  floor  beyond,  too 
exhausted  to  go  another  step. 

As  related  before,  the  firing  kept  up  all   this 


I98  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

night,  and  was  renewed  with  vigour  in  the  morn- 
ing. In  the  meantime,  the  trench  across  the 
street  had  been  completed,  so  that  the  two  divi- 
sions were  in  communication  with  one  another. 
It  was  fighting  at  close  quarters,  and  San  Antonio 
looked  as  if  in  the  throes  of  a  big  riot. 

The  Texans  had  been  trying  to  bring  a  twelve- 
pounder  into  position,  but,  so  far,  they  had  failed. 
Now,  however,  it  was  mounted  at  a  commanding 
point,  and  fired  several  times,  with  fair  effect.  In 
the  meantime,  Deaf  Smith  and  a  party  began  to  do 
some  sharpshooting  from  the  top  of  the  vice-gov- 
ernor's residence,  but  the  Mexicans  drove  them 
off,  and  Smith  was  severely  wounded. 

When  Ralph  came  to  himself,  he  found  that  he 
was  in  a  room  that  was  pitch-dark.  From  a  dis- 
tance came  a  hum  of  voices,  and  the  steady  blows 
of  some  blunt  instruments,  probably  axes  or  picks. 
The  firing  continued  steadily. 

He  felt  his  way  along  from  the  room  in  which 
he  found  himself  to  the  one  adjoining.  From 
this  a  stairs  led  upward,  and  he  went  to  the  upper 
floor.  Here,  from  a  window,  he  saw  part  of  the 
fighting,  and  as  the  morning  came,  he  saw  still 
more. 

The  noise  below  kept  on  steadily,  and  as  day- 
light advanced,  the  firing  on  all  sides  became 
almost  incessant.  In  the  midst  of  this,  there 
came  a  loud  hurrah,  and  a  detachment  of  Texans, 


THE   SURRENDER    OF  THE    CITY.  1 99 

under  Lieutenant  W.  McDonald,  ran  out  into  the 
street,  and  battered  down  the  door  of  the  very- 
house  where  Ralph  was  in  hiding. 

"  Hullo,  a  boy  !  "  shouted  one  of  the  Texans,  as 
he  caught  sight  of  Ralph.  And  then  he  con- 
tinued, quickly,  "  By  George !  ain't  you  Amos 
Radbury's  youngster  ? " 

"I  am,"  answered  Ralph.  "And  you  are  Mr. 
Martin,  from  the  Pecan  Grove  Ranch." 

"  Right,  my  lad.  How  in  the  world  did  you 
come  here  ?  " 

"  I  just  escaped  from  the  lockup,  and  was  trying 
to  reach  the  Texan  lines.  Do  you  know  anything 
of  my  father  ?  " 

"  Do  I  ?  Why,  he's  in  the  house  just  below 
here,  along  with  your  brother.  We  came  —  Back, 
or  you'll  be  shot !  " 

Ralph  retreated,  and  none  too  soon,  for  a  second 
later  several  bullets  entered  the  window  and  buried 
themselves  in  the  wall  opposite.  The  Mexicans 
were  firing  from  several  roofs  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. This  fire  was  returned  with  such  good 
interest  that  soon  the  Mexicans  were  as  glad  to 
get  out  of  sight  as  those  who  opposed  them. 

Ralph  wished  to  join  his  father  and  Dan  without 
delay,  but  Mr.  Martin  held  him  back. 

"  Wait  until  dark,"  said  the  settler.  "  You  are 
fairly  safe  here,  and  it  would  be  foolhardy  to  expose 
yourself." 


200  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  Do  you  think  we  will  win  out  ?  "  asked  the  lad, 
anxiously. 

"  I  do,  —  but  it  is  going  to  be  a  tougher  struggle 
than  any  of  us  expected." 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  of  the  attack 
matters  were  at  first  quiet,  but  then  came  a  fierce 
fire  by  the  Mexicans  on  the  Texans'  trench.  The 
sharpshooters  were  called  again  to  the  front,  and  in 
an  hour  the  enemy  had  stopped  almost  entirely. 

"  Here  goes  for  another  dash ! "  came  the  cry 
at  noon,  and  sure  enough  another  dash  was  led  to 
a  house  still  closer  to  the  plaza,  and  the  build- 
ing was  soon  in  the  possession  of  the  Texans. 
They  were  gaining  their  victory  slowly  but 
surely. 

At  evening  Colonel  Milam  attempted  to  leave 
his  own  position  to  consult  with  Colonel  Johnson, 
still  at  the  Veramendi  house.  "  You  must  be 
careful,  colonel,"  came  the  warning,  as  the  gallant 
fighter  stood  in  the  courtyard.  The  words  had 
scarcely  been  spoken  when  a  bullet  took  Milam 
in  the  head,  killing  him  instantly. 

The  loss  at  this  critical  moment  was  a  severe 
one,  and  the  officers  were  called  into  hasty  con- 
sultation, the  result  of  which  was  that  Colonel 
Johnson  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  expedition. 

The  battle  was  now  growing  fiercer  and  fiercer, 
and,  angered  over  the  loss  of  Colonel  Milam,  the 
Texans  forced  their  way  to  another  house,  which 


THE   SURRENDER    OF    THE    CITY.  201 

fronted  the  Military  Plaza  and  was  but  a    block 
from  the  Main  Plaza. 

"  Down  with  the  Mexicans  !  Hurrah  for  the 
liberty  of  Texas  !  "  were  the  cries,  and  the  Texans 
grew  more  enthusiastic  than  ever.  In  the  midst 
of  this  uproar  Ralph  discovered  his  father  and 
Dan  at  the  doorway  to  one  of  the  houses,  and  ran 
to  join  them. 

"  Ralph,  my  son ! "  cried  Amos  Radbury,  and 
caught  the  lad  to  his  breast,  and  Dan  hugged  his 
brother  with  a  bear-like  grip.  "  You  are  quite 
well  ? " 

"  Yes,  father.     But  what  a  fight  this  is  !  " 
"  Yes,  and  it  will  be  worse  before  it  is  over." 
"  Did  you  see  Big  Foot  ?  "  questioned  Dan. 
"Yes,  he  helped  me  to  get  out  of  prison." 
There  was  no  time  just  then  to  say  more,  for 
the  Texans  were  fighting  hotly,    holding    several 
houses  and  endeavouring  to  keep  the   Mexicans 
out  of  such  buildings  where  they  might  have  an 
advantage. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  the  attack  the  Texans 
fought  their  way  to  what  was  called  the  Zambrano 
Row,  which  line  of  stone  buildings  reached  to 
one  end  of  the  Main  Plaza.  "  Let  us  get  to 
the  Main  Plaza,  and  Cos  will  be  done  for  ! "  was 
the  cry. 

From  one  house  the  Texans  cut  their  way 
through  the  thick  stone  walls  to  the  next,   until 


202  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

at  last  the  whole  row  was  theirs,  and  the  Mexicans 
were  driven  in  every  direction. 

The  Main  Plaza  could  now  be  covered  in  part, 
but  during  the  coming  night  the  Texans  captured 
still  another  building,  called  the  Priest's  House, 
which  fronted  directly  on  the  great  square.  As 
soon  as  this  was  captured,  the  Texans  barricaded 
doors  and  windows,  and  made  of  the  house  a  regu- 
lar fort. 

"  We've  got  'em  on  the  run,"  said  more  than 
one  Texan,  after  the  Priest's  House  had  been  bar- 
ricaded, and  this  proved  to  be  true.  With  both 
the  Military  Plaza  and  the  Main  Plaza  swept  by 
the'  fire  of  the  enemy,  the  Mexicans  knew  not 
what  to  do.  The  citizens  of  the  town  were  in  a 
panic,  and  men,  women,  and  children  ran  the  streets 
as  if  insane.  Then  the  cry  went  up  in  Spanish  : 
"  To  the  Alamo  !  To  the  Alamo !  "  and  away  went 
the  civilians,  some  with  their  household  effects  on 
their  backs.  Seeing  this,  the  Mexicans  also  with- 
drew, meaning  at  first  to  protect  the  inhabitants 
(which  was  unnecessary,  for  the  Texans  did  not 
wish  to  molest  them),  and  then  to  reorganise  at 
the  Alamo  for  an  attack  on  General  Burleson's 
camp.  But  at  the  Alamo  things  were  in  the 
utmost  confusion,  and  before  General  Cos  could 
call  his  troops  together,  some  of  them  fled,  making 
straight  for  the  Rio  Grande  River. 

This  wound  up  the  fighting,  and  it  was  not  long 


THE   SURRENDER    OF   THE    CITY.  203 

before  the  Mexican  general  sent  out  a  flag  of 
truce,  asking  upon  what  terms  the  Texans  would 
receive  his  surrender.  The  Texans  were  very- 
lenient,  and  the  matter  was  quickly  settled.  The 
loss  to  the  Texans  had  been  about  thirty  killed 
and  wounded  ;  the  loss  to  the  Mexicans  was  six  or 
eight  times  greater. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


A    MIDNIGHT    DISCOVERY. 


In  view  of  what  was  to  follow  at  Goliad,  it  will 
be  well  for  us  to  look  for  a  moment  at  the  terms 
which  the  Texans  made  with  General  Cos  at  the 
time  of  the  latter's  surrender. 

The  Texans,  having  things  all  their  own  way, 
might  have  been  very  dictatorial  in  their  demands, 
yet  they  agreed  to  allow  General  Cos  and  his  offi- 
cers to  retain  their  arms  and  all  of  their  private 
property.  The  Mexican  soldiers  were  to  return 
home  or  remain  in  Texas  as  they  preferred,  the 
convicts  which  had  been  pressed  into  the  service 
were  to  be  conducted  across  the  Rio  Grande  River 
under  guard,  and  the  sick  and  wounded  were  to 
be  left  to  the  care  of  the  Texans.  On  his  retreat 
General  Cos  took  with  him  over  eleven  hundred 
men,  many  of  whom  were  armed  against  a  pos- 
sible attack  by  the  Indians. 

"  I  think  he  is  getting  off  easy,"  observed  Dan, 
when  it  became  known  under  what  conditions  the 
Mexican  commander  was  leaving.  "  I  don't  be- 
lieve he  would  be  so  considerate  with  us." 

204 


A   MIDNIGHT  DISCOVERY.  205 

"  Not  by  a  long  shot,"  put  in  Poke  Stover. 
"  He'd  be  for  treating  us  wuss  nor  prairie-dogs." 

"  Well,  it  is  always  best  to  be  considerate,"  said 
Amos  Radbury.  "  It  may  be  the  means  of  bring- 
ing this  contest  to  a  happier  conclusion," 

"  Well,  we're  going  to  keep  the  regular  muskets 
and  army  stores,  aren't  we?"  asked  Ralph. 

"  Yes,  all  public  property  comes  to  Texas,"  said 
his  father. 

General  Cos  left  San  Antonio  on  the  14th  of 
December,  and  on  the  following  day  General  Bur- 
leson resigned  from  the  Texan  army,  and  a  good 
many  of  the  volunteers  went  home,  to  learn  how 
matters  were  progressing  for  the  winter.  On  all 
sides  it  was  felt  that  no  other  movement  of  impor- 
tance would  occur  for  some  time  to  come,  for,  in 
those  days  in  Texas,  there  were  no  railroads  to 
carry  an  army  wherever  wanted,  and  the  distance 
from  San  Antonio  to  the  lower  Rio  Grande  River 
was  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles. 

"We  may  as  well  go  home,  too,  boys,"  said 
Lieutenant  Radbury,  two  days  after  his  com- 
mander had  resigned.  "  I  am  anxious  to  know 
how  Pompey  is  getting  along." 

"  What  of  the  white  mustang  ? "  questioned 
Dan. 

"  I  reckon  we  will  have  to  let  the  white  mustang 
take  care  of  himself,  —  at  least  for  the  present," 
smiled  Amos  Radbury. 


206  FOR  THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

It  was  decided  that  Poke  Stover,  who  had  be- 
come very  much  attached  to  the  Radburys,  should 
accompany  them,  and,  a  few  days  later,  they  set  out 
for  the  ranch  on  the  Guadalupe  by  way  of  Gonzales. 

The  stop  at  Gonzales  was  made  to  see  what  had 
been  done  with  Hank  Stiger. 

"  He  must  not  be  given  his  liberty  until  he 
confesses  what  he  has  done  with  my  claim 
papers,"  said  Amos  Radbury.  • 

The  ride  to  Gonzales  was  made  without  special 
incident,  but  along  the  whole  of  the  road  it  was 
seen  that  the  people  were  aroused  to  the  highest 
pitch.  Everybody  wondered  what  Mexico  would 
do  next. 

It  was  a  bitter  cold  day  when  Gonzales  was 
reached,  and  it  looked  as  if  the  first  norther  of  the 
season  was  at  hand. 

"  You're  too  late,"  said  one  of  the  citizens,  to 
Amos  Radbury,  as  they  rode  up  to  the  lockup. 

"  Too  late  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Dan. 

"  You're  after  that  Hank  Stiger,  I  take  it  ? " 

"We  are." 

"  He  skipped  out,  day  before  yesterday." 

"  Broke  jail  ?  " 

"Well,  not  exactly  that,  Radbury.  Louis 
Reemer  was  a-watching  of  him,  and  Louis  got 
drunk  and  left  the  jail  door  unlocked,  and  —  " 


A    MIDNIGHT  DISCOVERY.  20 J 

"And  Stiger  walked  out,  I  suppose,"  finished 
Lieutenant  Radbury,  bitterly. 

"  We  allow  as  how  he  run  out  —  an'  putty 
quick-like,  too." 

"  Did  anybody  make  a  hunt  for  him  ?  " 

"To  be  sure.  But  he  had  two  or  three  hours 
the  start  of  us,  and  so  we  couldn't  find  his  trail." 

"  Reemer  ought  to  be  locked  up  himself." 

"  We  ducked  him  in  the  horse-trough.  But  he 
wasn't  so  much  to  blame,  after  all.  We  had  a 
jollification  because  of  the  capture  of  Bexar,  and 
a  good  many  of  the  men  weren't  jest  as  straight 
as  they  might  be." 

With  a  heavy  heart,  Amos  Radbury  rode  down  to 
the  jail.  But  Reemer  was  away,  and  a  new  man  had 
taken  his  place,  —  a  man  who  knew  absolutely 
nothing  concerning  the  half-breed  who  had  got- 
ten away  thus  easily. 

"  We  may  as  well  go  home,"  said  the  lieuten- 
ant. 

"I  would  like  to  see  Henry  Parker  first,"  said 
Dan,  and  received  permission  to  take  a  run  to 
Henry's  house,  while  his  father  did  some  neces- 
sary trading. 

Dan  found  Henry  Parker  as  well  as  ever,  and 
hard  at  work  preparing  for  the  winter,  for  his 
father  could  do  but  little.  Henry  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  particulars  of  the  attack  on 
San  Antonio. 


208  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  I  wish  I  had  been  there,"  he  cried.  "  But  I 
am  going  when  the  army  reorganises ;  mother  and 
father  have  promised  it." 

"There  wasn't  much  fun  in  it,"  said  Dan, 
soberly.  "  It  was  real  hard  fighting  from  start 
to  finish.  The  fellows  who  went  in  for  a  mere 
dust-up  got  left." 

"  Oh,  I  know  war  is  no  play,  Dan.  But  I  mean 
to  do  my  duty  by  Texas,  and  that  is  all  there  is  to 
it,"  concluded  Henry  Parker. 
*  Early  the  next  morning  the  party  of  four  began 
the  journey  up  the  river  to  the  ranch  home.  It 
was  still  cloudy,  and  Ralph  declared  that  he  saw  a 
number  of  snowflakes  come  down,  but  the  others 
were  not  so  sure  of  this.  Yet  the  weather  was 
dismal  enough. 

"We  are  going  to  have  a  pretty  heavy  winter 
for  this  section,"  said  Amos  Radbury,  —  and  the 
prediction  proved  a  true  one. 

As  they  journeyed  along,  the  wind  swept  mourn- 
fully through  the  pines  and  pecans,  but  not  once 
did  they  catch  sight  of  any  wild  animal,  outside  of 
a  few  squirrels  and  hares.  Some  of  these  Poke 
Stover  brought  down,  "jest  to  keep  his  hand  in," 
as  he  declared. 

While  yet  they  were  a  long  distance  off,  Pompey 
saw  them  coming  and  ran  forward  to  meet  them. 

"  Bless  de  Lawd  yo'  is  all  safe  !  "  he  cried.  "  I 
dun  fink  one  or  de  udder  of  yo'  been  shot  suah  !  " 


A   MIDNIGHT  DISCOVERY.  209 

And  he  shook  hands  with  his  master  and  fairly- 
embraced  the  boys. 

"And  how  have  you  been,  Pompey  ? "  asked 
Amos  Radbury. 

"  Fse  been  all  right,  Mars'  Radbury.  Had  quite 
a  job  'tendin'  to  fings  alone,  but  Fse  dun  gwine 
an'  done  it,  neberdeless,  sah.  But  las'  night  Fse 
dun  got  scared,  mars',"  and  Pompey  rolled  his  eyes 
mysteriously. 

"  Got  scared  ?     At  what  ? " 

"A  man,  sah,  wot  was  a-creepin'  around  de 
ranch,  sah,  peepin'  in  de  doah  an'  de  winders, 
sah." 

«  A  man  ?  " 

"  Hank  Stiger,  I'll  wager  a  dollar!  "  cried  Dan. 

"  It  must  have  been  that  fellow,"  added  Ralph. 

"  What  became  of  the  man,  Pompey  ?  "  went  on 
Mr.  Radbury. 

"  I  can't  say  as  to  dat,  sah.  As  soon  as  I  dun 
spot  him,  sah,  I  got  de  gun,  an'  he  run  away  like 
de  Old  Boy  was  after  him,  sah." 

Asked  to  describe  the  stranger,  Pompey  gave  a 
fairly  good  description  of  him,  and  this  fitted  Hank 
Stiger  exactly. 

"  He  is  around  for  no  good  purpose,"  said  Amos 
Radbury.     "  Are  all  of  the  mustangs  safe  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sah.  Fse  dun  watch  dem  de  whole  night, 
sah." 

"We  must  keep  a  watch  to-night,  too,  and  to- 


2IO  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

morrow  we  can  go  on  a  hunt  and  see  if  he  is  hid- 
ing anywhere  near." 

In  honour  of  the  home-coming,  Pompey,  as 
tired  as  he  was,  spread  a  generous  table,  and 
all  sat  around  this  for  several  hours,  eating, 
drinking,  and  discussing  the  situation.  The 
Radburys  were  glad  Poke  Stover  had  accom- 
panied them,  for  now  the  frontiersman  could 
help  keep  guard  against  the  half-breed,  should 
the  latter  mean  mischief. 

The  next  day  proved  so  stormy  and  cold  that 
the  boys  were  glad  to  remain  indoors.  It  did  not 
snow,  but  the  rain  was  a  half  hail  and  the  wind 
was  of  the  kind  that  reaches  one's  marrow.  Only 
Amos  Radbury  and  Poke  Stover  went  out,  to  the 
cattle  shed  and  the  nearest  range,  and  they  were 
glad  enough  to  come  in  long  before  evening. 

"  Hank  Stiger  won't  stir  around  much  in  this 
weather,"  observed  Mr.  Radbury,  as  he  shook  the 
water  from  his  greatcoat.  "  He's  too  much  afraid 
of  himself." 

"Yes,  but  he'll  want  shelter  somewhere,"  said 
Ralph. 

"  Perhaps  he  has  gone  after  the  Comanches," 
said  Dan.  "  He  may  have  been  just  on  a  journey 
when  Pompey  saw  him." 

So  the  talk  ran  on,  but  nothing  came  of  it. 
That  night,  completely  tired  out,  all  retired  early. 
Just  before  he  went  to  bed  Dan  looked  out  of  the 


A   MIDNIGHT  DISCOVERY.  211 

window  and  saw  that  it  was  clearing  off,  and  that 
the  stars  were  trying  to  break  through  the  clouds. 

Down  in  a  corner  of  the  cattle  shed  rested  a 
small  keg  of  powder  which  Amos  Radbury  had 
brought  home  from  Gonzales,  for  his  stock  of  this 
article  had  run  low.  As  Dan  lay  in  bed  he  could 
not  get  this  keg  of  powder  out  of  his  head. 

"  I  hope  it  didn't  get  wet,"  he  thought.  "  But 
surely  father  must  have  covered  it  up  with  great 
care." 

For  thinking  of  the  keg,  Dan  could  not  get  to 
sleep,  and  at  last  he  arose  and  walked  out  into  the 
living-apartment  of  the  cabin.  Here,  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor,  he  came  to  a  sudden  standstill,  as  a 
noise  outside  reached  his  ears. 

What  the  noise  came  from  he  could  not  deter- 
mine. First  there  was  a  slight  bump,  and  then  a 
rolling  sound,  and  then  he  heard  a  scratching,  as 
of  steel  upon  flint. 

"I'm  going  to  investigate  this,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, and,  catching  up  his  gun,  he  ran  to  the  door 
and  threw  it  open. 

What  he  saw  surprised  him  beyond  measure. 
There,  in  the  darkness,  stood  Hank  Stiger.  The 
half-breed  had  a  bit  of  lighted  tinder  in  his  hand, 
and  at  his  feet  lay  the  keg  of  powder  with  a  long 
fuse  attached  to  the  open  bung-hole ! 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

MARCH  OF  SANTA  ANNA  INTO  TEXAS. 

"  You  rascal !     Get  back,  or  I'll  shoot !  " 

Such  were  the  words  which  burst  from  Dan's 
lips  as  soon  as  he  recovered  sufficiently  from  his 
surprise  to  speak. 

But  Hank  Stiger  was  already  retreating,  carry- 
ing the  lighted  tinder  in  his  hand.  He  could  not 
make  out  who  was  there,  but  saw  it  was  somebody 
with  a  gun,  and  the  sight  of  the  weapon  was  enough 
for  him. 

"  What's  up  ? "  came  from  Poke  Stover,  who 
had  been  snoring  in  the  corner,  and  the  old  fron- 
tiersman scrambled  to  his  feet  and  joined  Dan  at 
the  doorway. 

"There  goes  Hank  Stiger!  He  was  going  to 
blow  up  the  cabin  with  our  keg  of  gunpowder." 

"  Can  it  be  possible !  I'll  stop  him."  Stover 
ran  outside.  "Stop,  Hank  Stiger,  or  you're  a 
dead  man ! "    he  called  out,  loudly. 

But  the  half-breed  was  now  running  like  a  deer 
and  paid  no  attention  to  the  words.     Taking  hasty 


"'you  rascal!     get  back,  or  i'll  shoot!'" 


MARCH  OF  SANTA   ANNA.  21 3 

but  careful  aim  at  Stiger's  legs,  Poke  Stover  pulled 
the  trigger  of  his  gun. 

The  report,  which  awakened  all  of  the  others, 
was  followed  by  a  scream  of  pain  from  the  half- 
breed,  who  went  a  step  or  two  more  and  then  sank 
in  a  heap. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ? "  demanded  Amos 
Radbury,  as  he,  too,  seized  his  gun.  "Are  we 
attacked  by  Indians  ?  " 

"  No,  we  were  attacked  by  Hank  Stiger,"  an- 
swered Dan,  and  pointed  to  the  keg  of  powder. 

"  My  powder  !  What  was  he  going  to  do  with 
that  ? " 

"  Blow  us  all  sky-high." 

"  And  you  saw  him  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  caught  him  in  the  act  of  lighting  the 
fuse  lying  there." 

"  But  how  came  you  to  be  up  ? " 

"  I  was  restless,  —  thinking  about  the  keg  and 
other  things." 

"  It  must  have  been  an  act  of  Providence,"  mur- 
mured Amos  Radbury.     "  Who  fired  the  shot  ? " 

"  Poke  Stover.  He  has  gone  after  Stiger,"  con- 
cluded Dan. 

All  ran  out  of  the  cabin,  and  found  the  frontiers- 
man and  the  half-breed  at  the  edge  of  the  clearing. 
Hank  Stiger  had  been  struck  in  the  knee  and  was 
evidently  suffering  great  pain,  for  after  screaming 
for  awhile  he  fell  back  in  a  dead  faint. 


214  F0R    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Stover  and  Pompey  were  for  leaving  him  where  he 
had  fallen,  but  neither  Amos  Radbury  nor  his  sons 
had  the  heart  to  do  this,  and  in  the  end  the  half- 
breed  was  carried  to  the  cattle  shed  and  put  in  the 
corner  from  whence  he  had  removed  the  powder. 
All  were  anxious  to  question  him  about  his  actions, 
but  the  wounded  man  was  in  no  condition  to  talk. 

"  After  this  I'll  put  this  powder  in  a  safer  place," 
said  Mr.  Radbury,  and  stored  it  in  a  corner  of  the 
dugout,  under  the  living-room. 

Hank  Stiger's  wound  was  dressed,  and  then 
Pompey  was  set  to  watch  him  for  the  remainder 
of  the  night.  The  negro  was  given  a  pistol  and 
was  instructed  to  discharge  it  at  the  first  intima- 
tion of  danger  of  any  kind. 

But  the  balance  of  the  night  passed  quietly,  and 
toward  morning  Dan  got  into  a  sound  sleep,  from 
which  he  did  not  awaken  until  long  after  the  others 
were  up. 

After  breakfast  Amos  Radbury  started  to  ques- 
tion Hank  Stiger.  He  found  the  half-breed  rest- 
ing easily,  but  in  a  sullen  mood.  At  first  he  utterly 
refused  to  talk. 

"Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Radbury.  "If  you  won't 
talk,  neither  shall  you  eat  nor  drink." 

"  Then  take  me  back  to  the  Gonzales  lockup," 
muttered  Stiger. 

"We  will,  —  when  we  have  the  time.  At  pres- 
ent we  have  other  matters  to  attend  to." 


MARCH  OF  SANTA   ANNA.  21  5 

Left  once  more  in  charge  of  Pompey,  the  half- 
breed  flew  into  a  rage  and  muttered  all  sorts  of 
imprecations  against  those  who  had  outwitted 
him.  Then,  as  the  day  wore  on,  he  calmed  down, 
and  tried  to  bribe  the  coloured  man  into  giving 
him  something  to  eat  and  to  drink. 

Pompey  was  obdurate.  "  Can't  do  it,  nohow," 
he  said.     "  It's  ag'in  Mars'  Radbury's  ordahs,  sah." 

A  wounded  man  always  craves  water,  and  by 
one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  half-breed's 
tongue  was  fairly  lolling  out  of  his  mouth.  He 
stood  it  awhile  longer,  then  summoned  Pompey. 

"  Give  me  a  drink,  —  I  am  dyin  '." 

"  I  dun  tole  you  dat  it  was  ag'in  the  massah's 
ordahs,  sah." 

"  He  said  I  could  have  water  if  I  would  talk," 
growled  Stiger. 

"  Is  yo'  ready  to  talk  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

At  once  the  negro  called  his  master,  who  was 
busy,  with  the  boys  and  Poke  Stover,  in  putting 
down  some  hog-meat  for  the  winter.  Knowing 
how  greatly  Stiger  must  suffer,  Amos  Radbury 
went  to  him  without  delay. 

"  So  you  are  willing  to  talk  now,  Stiger  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  help  myself  ? " 

"Then  tell  me  why  you  tried  to  blow  up  my 
cabin?" 

"  I  wanted  to  git  squar'  fer  havin'  me  locked  up." 


2l6  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"But  you  deserved  to  be  locked  up,  after  that 
attack  on  Dan  and  Henry  Parker." 

At  this  the  half-breed  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"And  you  must  remember  perfectly  well 
what  you  did  before  that,"  continued  Amos  Rad- 
bury. 

"  I  didn't  get  Bison  Head  to  attack  you,  —  he 
did  that  on  his  own  account." 

"But  you  came  in  afterward  and  robbed  the 
place.  It  is  useless  for  you  to  deny  any  longer 
that  you  took  those  papers  relating  to  this  grant 
of  land." 

For  several  minutes  Stiger  was  silent.  At  last 
he  lifted  his  eyes. 

"  Are  you  goin'  to  give  me  dat  drink  ?  "  he 
asked,  falling  back  into  his  Indian  accent. 

"  Yes,  —  if  you'll  promise  to  tell  me  about  the 
papers." 

"I  — I  will." 

Pompey  was  at  once  sent  for  a  pitcher  of  fresh 
water,  and  when  it  arrived  Hank  Stiger  grabbed  it 
with  both  hands  and  drained  it  dry.  Nectar  could 
not  have  tasted  sweeter  to  him. 

"  Now  what  did  you  do  with  the  papers  ? " 
Amos  Radbury  asked,  after  Stiger  had  given  a 
long  sigh  of  satisfaction. 

"I  —  I  lost  'em." 

Instantly  Amos  Radbury's  face  flushed,  and  he 
sprang  to  his  feet. 


MARCH  OF  SANTA   ANNA.  21  7 

"  Stiger,  you  are  falsifying  !  I  do  not  believe 
you  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  It's  de  truf." 

"  It  is  not.  You  have  either  hidden  the  papers 
or  else  given  them  to  somebody." 

At  this  the  half-breed  shrugged  his  shoulders 
again. 

"You  cannot  deceive  me  longer,"  went  on  the 
settler.  "  By  and  by  you  will  want  food  and  more 
water.     You  shall  have  neither." 

"  Goin'  ter  starve  me  to  death  ? " 

"  It  will  be  your  own  fault.  I  am  now  treating 
you  with  more  kindness  than  you  deserve.  Many 
a  man  would  have  strung  you  up  to  the  nearest 
tree  for  your  misdeeds." 

At  this  Hank  Stiger  winced,  for  he  knew  only 
too  well  that  Mr.  Radbury  spoke  the  truth.  He 
felt  that  he  could  not  go  too  far  or  he  might  get 
into  deeper  trouble. 

"I'll  tell  yer  all,"  he  said  at  last.  "But  give 
me  somethin'  to  eat  first." 

"  Not  a  mouthful  until  you  have  told  your  story. 
Then  you  can  have  all  the  food  and  water  you 
wish,  and  we'll  try  to  make  you  as  comfortable 
as  we  can." 

This  was  the  straw  which  broke  the  camel's 
back,  so  far  as  Hank  Stiger  was  concerned,  and 
with  much  hesitation  he  told  his  story,  which  in 
substance  was  as  follows  : 


2l8  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

About  six  months  before,  he  had  fallen  in  with 
a  man  of  mixed  American  and  Spanish  blood 
named  Carlos  Martine,  who  was  anxious  to 
obtain  possession  of  a  large  grant  of  land  on 
the  Guadalupe  from  the  Radbury  claim  north- 
ward. 

Carlos  Martine  was  in  league  with  a  number  of 
Mexican  officials,  and  had  obtained  ownership  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  land  without  much  difficulty. 
But  the  best  of  the  land,  that  fronting  the  river,  be- 
longed to  Amos  Radbury,  and  this  Martine  could 
not  obtain,  although  he  tried  to  do  so  through  a 
certain  John  Morgan.  Morgan  had  asked  Mr. 
Radbury  to  sell  several  times,  but  had  been 
refused. 

Carlos  Martine  had  had  a  hold  on  Hank  Stiger, 
and  during  the  Indian  raid  had  asked  the  half- 
breed  to  obtain  possession  of  the  papers  relating 
to  the  land,  if  they  could  be  found  in  the  Radbury 
cabin.  What  Martine  was  going  to  do  with  the 
papers  Stiger  did  not  know. 

Having  obtained  the  papers,  Hank  Stiger  had 
gone  off  to  Gonzales  with  them.  From  there  he 
had  journeyed  to  Goliad,  and  there  met  Carlos 
Martine.  The  latter  had  promised  him  twenty 
dollars,  Mexican  money,  for  the  documents,  but 
at  the  time  of  the  meeting  the  half-breed  had  been 
so  intoxicated  that  he  could  not  remember  whether 
he  received  the  cash  or  not.     Certainly,  when  he 


MARCH  OF  SANTA   ANNA.  219 

had  sobered  up,  two  days  later,  every  cent  of  the 
money  was  missing. 

"  And  have  you  seen  Carlos  Martine  since  ? " 
questioned  Amos  Radbury. 

"No." 

"  Then  you  do  not  know  where  he  is  ? " 

Once  more  Hank  Stiger  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"I  think  he  got  afraid  and  went  to  Mexico.  A 
good  many  people  around  Gonzales  do  not  like 
him,  and  I  think  he  was  afraid  I  would  expose 
him,"  he  ventured. 

Amos  Radbury  questioned  the  half-breed,  and  at 
last  concluded  that  the  story  must  be  largely  true. 
This  being  so,  he  ordered  Pompey  to  fetch  some 
more  water  and  prepare  such  a  meal  as  might  be 
good  for  the  sick  man.  The  planter  had  had  con- 
siderable experience  at  doctoring,  and  he  attended 
to  the  wounded  knee  with  almost  as  much  skill  as 
a  surgeon. 

As  Carlos  Martine  was  out  of  reach,  nothing 
could  at  present  be  done  toward  getting  back  the 
missing  documents. 

"  But  I  shall  fortify  myself  as  much  as  possible," 
said  Amos  Radbury ;  and  on  the  following  day  he 
wrote  down  Hank  Stiger's  confession  in  full,  made 
the  half-breed  sign  it  with  his  mark,  and  had  Poke 
Stover  witness  the  paper. 

"Thet  might  not  hold  with  the  Mexican  gov- 
ernment," drawled  the  old  frontiersman,  "  but  I 


220  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

calkerlate  'twill  hold  with  the  government  o'  this 
free  an'  enlightened  State  o'  Texas,  hear  me  ! " 
And  at  this  the  others  had  to  laugh. 

The  holidays  came  and  went,  and  nothing  of 
more  than  ordinary  interest  happened  at  the 
ranch.  It  was  at  times  bitter  cold,  the  sweeping 
"  northers,"  as  they  are  called,  hurling  themselves 
over  Texas  with  great  fury.  During  those  times 
everybody  remained  indoors  hugging  the  fire. 
Hank  Stiger  still  kept  to  his  couch  at  the  cattle 
shed,  and  was  provided  regularly  with  all  that  he 
needed  to  eat  and  drink.  If  the  truth  must  be 
told,  the  half-breed  was  thankful  that  he  had  such 
a  comfortable  home  for  the  time  being,  knowing 
it  was  much  better  than  any  the  Indians  could 
offer  him,  or  better  than  he  would  get  at  the 
Gonzales  lockup. 

In  the  meantime,  matters  politically  were  in  a 
very  mixed-up  state  throughout  Texas.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  settlers  were  for  liberty,  but  some, 
while  wishing  State  rights,  still  thought  it  best 
to  remain  in  the  Mexican  Confederation,  while 
others  wanted  annexation  to  the  United  States 
without  delay. 

Many  meetings  were  held,  but  this  only  in- 
creased the  confusion,  and  though  a  portion  of  the 
Texans  set  up  a  provisional  government,  others 
continued  to  act  largely  on  their  own  responsi- 
bility.    There  were  many  wrangles  and,  to  look 


MARCH  OF  SANTA    ANNA.  221 

back,  it  is  a  great  wonder  that  anarchy  did  not 
reign  supreme.  But  it  is  a  satisfaction  to  know 
that,  in  the  end,  law  and  order  conquered.  With 
the  political  troubles  our  tale  has  nothing  to  do. 

While  the  Texans  were  speculating  upon  what 
to  do  next,  Santa  Anna,  in  Mexico,  was  not  idle. 
At  the  head  of  a  party  peculiarly  his  own,  he  had 
cut  off  many  of  the  rights  of  the  Mexican  citizens, 
and  made  himself  virtually  a  dictator,  although 
still  called  simply  the  president.  This  accom- 
plished, he  set  out  to  subdue  Texas,  the  only  spot 
where  his  authority  was  resisted. 

Santa  Anna  had  sent  out  a  small  command  to 
relieve  General  Cos  at  San  Antonio.  The  two 
forces  met  at  the  Rio  Grande  River,  and  there 
waited  for  further  orders.  Early  in  February, 
General  Santa  Anna  came  up  to  Monova  with 
about  four  thousand  troops.  These  soldiers  were 
joined  by  those  on  the  Rio  Grande,  thus  increasing 
the  Mexican  army  to  about  seven  thousand. 

The  order  now  came  for  a  direct  advance  upon 
San  Antonio,  and  the  army  set  off  on  its  weari- 
some journey  of  about  six  hundred  miles  over  a 
plain  which  was  hardly  protected  by  any  timber 
from  the  cutting  winter  winds.  Slow  progress 
was  made,  and,  food  falling  short,  the  whole  army 
had  to  be  put  on  short  rations.  Some  of  the 
soldiers  tried  to  desert,  but  these  were  promptly 
shot  by  Santa  Anna's  orders.     Whenever  a  settle- 


222  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

ment  was  passed,  the  inhabitants  were  made  to 
give  the  hungry  Mexicans  all  the  provisions  they 
could  possibly  spare.  Once  the  whole  army  came 
close  to  open  rebellion,  but  Santa  Anna's  orders 
were  supreme,  and  on  the  2 2d  day  of  February, 
1836,  the  first  of  his  troops  appeared  within  sight 
of  San  Antonio ;  and  the  war,  which  had  hung  fire 
since  the  December  before,  was  again  begun. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

WILD  TURKEYS  AND  ANOTHER  TRAIL. 

One  day,  early  in  February,  Amos  Radbury 
came  riding  back  from  a  trip  to  Gonzales  with 
news  that  he  had  heard  from  Carlos  Martine. 

"  The  man  has  been  at  San  Felipe,"  he  declared, 
"and  I  have  it  on  good  authority  that  he  intends 
to  claim  my  land." 

"  Well,  what  are  ye  going  to  do  ? "  queried  Poke 
Stover,  who  was  still  at  the  ranch. 

"  I  hardly  know.  But  I  wish  I  could  have  a  talk 
with  Martine.  It  might  be  the  means  of  saving  a 
good  deal  of  trouble." 

"Is  Martine  still  at  San  Felipe ? " 

"  No,  Gusher  told  me  that  he  had  gone  to  San 
Antonio." 

"  Then  why  not  take  a  trip  to  San  Antonio  and 
find  him  ? "  suggested  the  old  frontiersman.  "  I 
reckon  that  is  what  I  would  do." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,  Poke,  and  I'll  start  to- 
morrow," answered  the  planter. 

He  went  in  to  talk  the  matter  over  with 
223 


224  FOR    THE  LIBERTY   OF   TEXAS. 

his  sons,  and  the  land  claim  was  the  chief 
topic  of  conversation  for  the  balance  of  the 
evening. 

"I  now  wish  I  had  kept  Hank  Stiger  here," 
said  Mr.  Radbury.  The  half-breed  had  left  the 
ranch  but  three  days  before,  apparently  very 
grateful  for  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been 
treated. 

"Well,  one  thing  is  certain,"  declared  Dan, 
"  I  don't  stand  for  giving  up  the  claim.  I'll  fight 
first.  Those  Mexican  officials  can  do  as  they 
please,   but   they   can't   budge   me." 

"  Good  fer  Dan  !  "  shouted  Stover.  "  He's  the 
kind  the  State  o'  Texas  will  want  in  days  to 
come." 

On  the  next  day  Mr.  Radbury  was  too  busy  to 
think  of  leaving  the  ranch.  There  was  much 
work  at  the  cattle  shed,  part  of  which  had  been 
blown  down  by  a  norther  which  had  proved  little 
less  than  a  hurricane. 

In  working  upon  the  shed  the  planter  had  a 
mishap.  The  rung  of  a  short  ladder  broke 
beneath  his  weight,  and  he  came  down  flat  on 
his  back.  No  bones  were  broken,  but  he  was 
hurt  otherwise,  and  decided  that  it  would  be 
best  for  him  to  keep  off  his  horse  for  a  week  or 
ten  days. 

He  was  apparently  much  worried  to  think  he 
could  not  see  Carlos  Martine,  and,  noticing  this, 


WILD    TURKEYS.  225 

Dan  went  to  him,  and  asked  if  he  could  not  do 
the  errand. 

«  You,  Dan  !  " 

"Yes,  father.  I  know  you  think  I  am  but  a 
boy,  yet  —  " 

"  No,  my  son,"  interposed  Mr.  Radbury.  "  I 
used  to  think  you  were  but  a  boy,  but,  since  you 
showed  your  fighting  qualities  at  Bexar,  I  have 
changed  my  mind.     You  are  but  a  boy  in  years." 

"  Then  let  me  go  and  see  if  I  can  hunt  up  this 
Carlos  Martine.  I  can  at  least  have  a  talk  with 
him,  and  learn  how  matters  stand." 

Amos  Radbury  shook  his  head,  but  in  the  end 
he  consented  to  let  Dan  go,  providing  Poke 
Stover  would  accompany  him  on  the  trip.  The 
old  frontiersman  was  willing,  and  early  on  the 
following  morning  the  pair  set  off  on  their  mus- 
tangs, each  carrying  his  gun,  which  was  now  a 
custom  with  all  of  the  settlers. 

In  those  days  there  were  two  main  trails,  or 
wagon  roads,  crossing  the  Guadalupe  River.  The 
lower  trail  was  the  one  running  through  San  Felipe, 
Gonzales,  and  San  Antonio,  and  this  could  very 
properly  be  termed  the  main  highway  of  Texas. 
From  fifty  to  a  hundred  miles  north  of  this  was 
the  trail  running  through  Nacogdoches,  and  across 
a  hilly  and  uncultivated  territory  to  San  Antonio 
and  the  Rio  Grande.  At  San  Antonio  the  two 
trails  came  together  in  the  form  of  the  letter  V, 


226  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

and  in  the  notch  thus  formed  stood  the  Franciscan 
Mission,  commonly  called  the  Alamo,  which  means 
the  cottonwood-tree.  Of  this  mission,  which  was 
to  be  so  bravely  defended,  we  will  soon  learn  many 
interesting  details. 

The  Radburys  usually  rode  to  San  Antonio  by 
way  of  Gonzales,  but  Dan  and  Poke  Stover  decided 
to  ride  through  the  timber  lands  to  the  northwest 
until  the  upper  trail  was  gained.  This  way  might 
be  a  trifle  rougher,  but  it  was  no  longer,  and  the 
trees  along  the  upper  trail  would  serve  to  break 
the  force  of  the  northers  which  were  continually 
sweeping  the  face  of  the  country. 

The  two  set  off  in  high  spirits,  each  with  his 
saddle-bags  well  stocked  with  provisions,  and  each 
well  armed. 

"Who  knows  but  what  we  may  meet  some 
Indians  on  the  way  ? "  said  Dan. 

"I  doubt  if  the  Indians  are  active  now,"  replied 
the  old  frontiersman.  "They  have  had  some 
pretty  good  lessons  lately,  and,  besides,  they  know 
that  all  of  the  settlers  are  arming  against  the 
Mexicans,  and  are,  consequently,  ready  for  them." 

"Do  you  know  why  I  came  this  way  ?  "  went  on 
Dan,  after  a  pause. 

"  I  didn't  calkerlate  you  had  any  perticklar 
reason,  Dan." 

"  I  have  an  idea  we  can  run  across  that  white 
mustang  father  lost." 


WILD    TURKEYS.  22*J 

"  Humph !  That  nag  may  be  miles  an'  miles 
away  from  this  deestrict." 

"  That  is  true.  But  yesterday,  when  I  rode  up 
to  the  edge  of  this  timber,  I  caught  sight  of  some- 
thing that  looked  very  much  like  the  white 
mustang." 

"  You  did  !     Then  why  didn't  you  say  so  afore  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  want  to  worry  father.  I  thought  I 
would  tell  you,  —  when  we  got  out,  —  and  I've 
done  it,"  added  Dan. 

"  Where  did  ye  spot  the  critter  ? " 

"  Right  over  to  the  left,  near  that  fallen  pine. 
But  I'm  not  sure  it  was  the  white  mustang.  But 
it  was  some  creature  in  white." 

"If  it  wasn't  the  mustang,  it  couldn't  be  any- 
thing else.  There  are  no  other  white  critters  here, 
—  'ceptin'  it  might  be  a  silver  deer,  and  they  are 
as  scarce  as  snowstorms  in  July." 

They  were  now  in  the  timber,  and  moving  along 
at  a  steady  gait.  On  all  sides  the  ground  was  as 
hard  as  a  rock,  and  the  keen  air  was  bracing  to 
the  last  degree.  A  stiff  breeze  was  blowing, 
swaying  the  branches  overhead,  and  occasionally 
bringing  down  a  belated  nut  on  their  heads. 

By  noon  they  calculated  that  they  had  covered 
eighteen  miles,  which  was  not  bad,  considering  the 
nature  of  the  ground  they  had  traversed.  With 
the  rising  of  the  sun  it  grew  warmer,  and,  seeking 
a  sheltered  spot,  they  dismounted  and  partook  of 


228  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

their  midday  meal.  They  had  still  twenty-six 
miles  to  go,  but  hoped  to  cover  that  distance  before 
nightfall. 

"  I  wonder  how  the  garrison  at  San  Antonio  is 
making  out,"  said  Dan,  as  they  sat  eating. 

"  Like  as  not  a  good  many  of  the  soldiers  went 
home  for  Christmas,"  returned  Stover.  "To  my 
mind,  it's  a  great  pity  that  Sam  Houston  ain't 
succeeded  in  organising  the  army  as  he  intended. 
He  seems  to  be  the  only  leader  who  thinks  that 
Santa  Anna  will  come  over  here  with  a  big  force 
to  knock  the  spots  out  of  us.  All  the  others  are 
quarrelling  over  politics  and  places." 

"  I  don't  think  it's  quite  as  bad  as  that,"  laughed 
Dan.  "  But  it  seems  to  me  they  ought  to  get  an 
army  together." 

"  The  leaders  ought  to  act  in  concert,  Dan.  If 
they  don't,  their  soldiers  are  licked  afore  they  go 
into  battle,"  remarked  the  old  frontiersman,  sagely. 
"What  Texas  needs  most  of  all  is  one  first-class 
leader,  whom  all  obey."  And  in  this  speech 
Stover  came  very  near  to  telling  the  exact  truth. 

The  meal  finished,  they  were  soon  in  the  saddle 
again,  and  less  than  an  hour  later  they  came  upon 
the  trail  leading  directly  into  San  Antonio.  There 
was  a  hill  of  rocks  on  one  side  and  a  belt  of  timber 
on  the  other,  with  here  and  there  a  water-course  to 
be  crossed. 

So  far,  nothing  had  been  seen  of  any  game  but 


'"THAT'S    WHAT    I    CALL    A    PRETTY    GOOD    HAUL  !  '    CRIED 
DAN,    ENTHUSIASTICALLY." 


WILD    TURKEYS.  229 

a  deer  that  was  too  far  away  to  be  brought  down, 
and  a  few  hares,  which  neither  took  the  trouble  to 
shoot.  But  now  Poke  Stover  called  attention  to  a 
flock  of  wild  turkeys  resting  along  the  rocks  not 
a  hundred  yards  distant. 

"A  fine  shot,  Dan!"  he  whispered.  "We  can 
make  a  good  trade  with  'em,  down  in  Bexar." 

"That's  so,"  answered  the  boy.  "I'm  ready  to 
shoot  when  you  are." 

"  Let  us  go  into  the  timber,  and  come  up  in 
front  of  'em,"  suggested  the  old  frontiersman. 
"The  rocks  kind  o'  hide  'em  from  this  p'int." 

They  dismounted  and  tied  their  mustangs  to  a 
tree.  Then,  with  guns  ready  for  use,  they 
crept  off  in  a  semicircle,  coming  up  to  within 
sixty  yards  of  the  turkeys  before  they  were 
discovered. 

"  Fire  !  "  cried  Stover,  and  bang  !  bang !  went 
the  two  guns,  one  directly  after  the  other.  They 
had  loaded  with  large  shot,  and  five  turkeys  fell, 
two  killed  outright  and  the  others  badly  wounded. 
Rushing  in,  Stover  quickly  caught  the  wounded 
ones  and  wrung  their  necks. 

"That's  what  I  call  a  pretty  good  haul,"  cried 
Dan,  enthusiastically. 

"  It's  not  bad,  lad,  although  I've  seen  better.  I 
wish  I  could  have  gotten  a  second  shot  at  'em 
We  might  have  —  "  The  old  frontiersman  broke 
off  short.     "  What's  that  ?  " 


230  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  It's  a  horse's  hoofs  on  the  trail,"  answered 
Dan.      "  Somebody  is  coming  this  way." 

He  ran  out  of  the  bushes  into  which  the  wild 
turkeys  had  fallen,  and  gazed  along  the  road. 
Just  above  was  a  curve,  and  around  this  came 
sweeping  something  which  caused  his  heart  to 
bound  with  delight. 

It  was  the  white  mustang. 

"  By  hookey  !  "  came  from  Poke  Stover.  "  It's 
him,  eh,  Dan  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Oh,  if  only  I  had  my  lasso !  "  For 
that  article  was  attached  to  the  saddle  of  the 
mustang  in  the  timber.  Dan  was  on  the  point 
of  crossing  the  trail  when  Stover  caught  him  by 
the  arm. 

"  Don't  scare  the  pony  —  "  began  the  frontiers- 
man, but  he  was  too  late.  The  white  mustang 
had  caught  sight  of  Dan  and  he  came  to  a  halt 
instantly.  Then  he  reared  and  plunged  and  swept 
by,  and  the  last  they  saw  of  him,  he  was  running 
toward  San  Antonio  at  the  top  of  his  speed. 

"We've  seen  him, — and  that's  all  the  good  it 
will  do  us,"  remarked  Poke  Stover,  as  Dan  gazed 
blankly  up  the  road,  and  then  at  his  companion. 

"Can't  we  catch  him,  Poke?      Oh,  we  must!" 

"  Might  as  well  try  to  catch  a  streak  o'  greased 
lightning,  lad." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that.  He  looked  tired,  as 
if  he  had  been  running  a  long  while." 


WILD    TURKEYS.  23  I 

"  You  are  sure  on  that  ?  I  didn't  git  no  fair  view 
of  the  critter." 

"  Yes,  he  was  covered  with  sweat.  Perhaps 
somebody  else  has  been  following  him." 

"  Well,  it  won't  do  no  harm  to  go  after  him,  — 
seein'  as  how  he  is  steerin'  in  our  direction,"  said 
the  old  frontiersman,  and,  picking  up  the  dead 
turkeys,  they  ran  for  their  mustangs  and  leaped 
into  the  saddles. 

Several  miles  were  covered,  and  they  were  on 
the  point  of  giving  up  the  chase  when  they  en- 
countered a  settler  with  his  prairie  schooner,  or 
big  covered  wagon,  on  his  way  to  Guadalupe. 

"  Ye-as,  I  seen  thet  air  white  critter  jest  below 
yere,"  the  settler  drawled.  "  He  war  goin'  'bout 
fifteen  miles  an  hour,  I  reckoned.  Looked  tired. 
I  wanted  to  go  arfter  him,  but  Susy,  she  wouldn't 
allow  it." 

"  No,  Sam  Dickson,  ye  sha'n't  go  arfter  no  game 
or  sech,"  came  from  the  interior  of  the  schooner. 
"  Ye'll  settle  down  an'  go  ter  farmin',  an'  the 
sooner  the  better  'twill  be  fer  yer  hide,  mind  me  !  " 
And  the  dark,  forbidding  face  of  a  woman,  some 
years  older  than  the  man,  appeared  from  behind 
the  dirty  flaps  of  the  wagon-covering.  At  once 
the  settler  cracked  his  whip  and  drove  on. 

Poke  Stover  chuckled  to  himself.  "Thar's 
married  life  fer  ye,  Dan,"  he  remarked.  "  Do 
ye  wonder  I'm  a  single  man  ? " 


232  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  My  mother  wasn't  of  that  kind,"  answered  the 
youth,  and  then  Stover  abruptly  changed  the  sub- 
ject, and  away  they  galloped  again  after  the  white 
mustang,  little  dreaming  of  the  trouble  into  which 
that  chase  was  to  lead  them. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

THE  MEXICAN  ARMY  AT  SAN  ANTONIO. 

The  day  was  almost  spent  when,  from  a  slight 
hill,  they  came  in  sight  of  San  Antonio,  the  setting 
sun  gilding  the  tops  of  the  church  steeples,  and 
making  the  sluggish  river  appear  like  a  stream  of 
gold. 

"  No  white  mustang  yet,"  said  Dan.  "  I  reckon 
we  might  as  well  give  up  the  chase  and  go  right 
into  the  city." 

"  Not  yet !  "  cried  Poke  Stover,  pointing  with 
his  hand  to  the  northwestward.  "Thar  ye  are, 
Dan !  " 

Dan  looked  in  the  direction,  and  in  a  patch 
of  cottonwoods  made  out  a  white  object,  moving 
slowly  along.  It  was  the  mustang  they  were 
after,  so  tired  out  that  he  could  scarcely  move 
from  one  spot  to  the  next. 

"  We've  got  him  now  !  "  ejaculated  the  youth, 
enthusiastically.  "  And  just  as  I  was  ready  to 
give  up,  too  !     Come  on  ! " 

Away  he  swept,  with  all  the  quickness  of  which 
his  own  wearied  steed  was  capable,  and  Poke 
233 


234  F0R    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

Stover  followed  him.  The  white  mustang  saw 
them  coming,  and  set  off  into  the  timber  on  a 
feeble  run. 

The  course  of  the  pursued  creature  was  around 
the  northern  approach  to  San  Antonio  and  then 
toward  the  Medina  River.  Many  times  they 
thought  to  give  up  the  chase,  but  then  the  white 
mustang  seemed  so  near  and  so  ready  to  drop  that 
they  kept  on  until  the  river  bank  was  gained. 
Here  the  mustang  disappeared  into  a  pine  brake  ; 
and  it  may  be  as  well  to  add,  right  here,  that 
neither  the  Radburys  nor  Poke  Stover  ever  saw 
him  again. 

"Where  is  he?"  asked  Dan,  a  few  minutes 
after  the  animal  had  disappeared.  "  Do  you  think 
he  leaped  into  the  water  ? " 

"  I  heard  a  splash,"  answered  the  old  frontiers- 
man. "  There  it  goes  again."  He  tried  to  pierce 
the  darkness  with  his  eyes.  "  There  is  something 
over  yonder,  that  —  Whoopee,  Dan,  look  !  " 

There  was  no  need  for  Poke  Stover  to  call  the 
boy's  attention  to  what  was  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Medina,  for  Dan  was  already  looking,  "  with 
all  eyes,"  as  the  saying  is.  He  had  made  out  a 
number  of  Mexican  cavalrymen,  moving  up  and 
down  along  the  west  bank,  and  now  he  noted 
two  pieces  of  artillery,  which  the  cannoneers  were 
trying  to  run  out  on  two  rafts  moored  close  at 
hand. 


THE  MEXICAN  ARMY.  235 

"  The  Mexican  army,  as  sure  as  you  are  born  !  " 
cried  Stover,  in  an  excited  whisper.  "  Lad,  we 
have  made  an  important  discovery.  They  must 
be  bound  for  Bexar  !  " 

"Yes,  and  there  are  thousands  of  them,"  an- 
swered Dan.  His  heart  was  beating  so  rapidly 
that  he  could  scarcely  speak.  "  Poke,  what  had 
we  best   do  ? " 

"  Find  out  what  their  game  is,  first,  and  then 
ride  back  to  Bexar  as  fast  as  our  mustangs  can 
make  it.  If  the  garrison  isn't  warned,  there  will 
surely  be  a  great  slaughter." 

There  was  a  stiff  norther  blowing,  making  the 
swollen  stream  rough  and  dangerous  to  cross,  and 
the  Mexicans  were  consulting  among  themselves  as 
to  how  they  should  proceed.  With  bated  breath, 
the  boy  and  the  old  frontiersman  watched  every 
movement,  and,  at  the  same  time,  tried  to  figure 
up  mentally  how  many  Mexicans  there  were. 

"At  least  a  thousand,"  said  Poke  Stover,  but, 
as  we  know,  he  was  mistaken  ;  the  force  of  the 
enemy  numbered  nearly  seven  times  that  many, 
although,  to  be  sure,  they  were  not  all  in  that 
immediate  vicinity. 

"We  will  cross  the  river  and  investigate,"  said 
one  of  the  officers,  presently,  and  a  large  flat- 
bottomed  boat  was  brought  around  and  a  dozen 
soldiers  leaped  into  it. 

"  We  had  better  get  out  now,"  whispered  Poke 


236  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Stover,  and  turned  his  pony  to  ride  away  from 
the  river  bank. 

"  Halt !  Who  goes  ? "  came  the  cry,  in  Spanish, 
from  one  of  the  Mexican  guards. 

"  We  are  discovered,"  whispered  Dan.  "  Come 
on ! " 

He  turned  away  from  the  river  bank  and  dove 
straight  into  the  pine  brake.  Then  came  a  shot  of 
warning,  but  the  Mexican  fired  high,  not  daring  to 
take  aim  for  fear  of  hitting  a  friend. 

The  shot  caused  a  commotion,  and  soon  Dan  and 
Stover  felt  that  they  were  being  followed.  They 
tried  to  make  their  mustangs  move  on  a  run,  but 
the  animals  could  not  be  urged  farther. 

"They  will  catch  us,  sure,"  gasped  the  boy,  as 
the  steps  of  the  enemy  sounded  nearer  and  nearer. 
"  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  Move  to  the  right,  and  we'll  see  if  we  can't 
throw  them  off  the  trail,"  answered  Poke  Stover. 

To  the  right  there  was  a  slight  hollow,  filled 
with  mesquite-trees  and  bushes,  and  beyond  this 
was  a  sandy  plain  covered  with  cacti.  But  of  the 
latter  both  were  ignorant. 

Down  into  the  hollow  they  dove,  their  horses 
glad  enough  of  the  chance  to  get  a  drink  at  the 
pool  among  the  bushes.  Under  the  mesquite-trees 
they  halted,  and  Stover  went  back  to  reconnoitre. 

The  scout  was  gone  for  fully  quarter  of  an  hour, 
and  came  back  chuckling  softly  to  himself. 


THE  MEXICAN  ARMY.  2  37 

"We  threw  'em  nicely,"  he  said.  "We  are 
safe  now,  providin'  we  don't  make  too  much 
noise." 

"  Then  let  us  go  on,  Poke.  We  must  carry  the 
news  to  Bexar." 

"  It's  funny  there  are  no  scouts  around,"  was 
the  old  frontiersman's  comment.  "  They  ought  to 
be  on  the  watch."  But  none  of  the  Texan  soldiers 
were  on  guard,  the  greater  portion  of  them  being  in 
attendance  at  a  Mexican  fandango  in  the  town, 
never  suspecting  the  attack  so  close  at  hand. 
Santa  Anna  heard  of  this  fandango,  and  would 
have  pushed  forward  to  capture  San  Antonio  at 
once,  but  could  not  get  his  army  across  the  Medina 
River. 

Leaving  the  pool,  Dan  and  the  frontiersman 
ascended  to  the  plain,  and  presently  found  them- 
selves among  the  cacti.  This  was  anything  but 
pleasant,  and  they  had  to  pick  their  way  with  great 
care  in  the  darkness,  and  even  then  their  steeds 
often  refused  to  budge,  so  prickly  were  the  plants. 
It  was  almost  morning  when  they  arrived  in  sight 
of  the  jacals,  or  huts,  which  dotted  the  outskirts  of 
the  city. 

The  pair  at  once  sought  out  the  commander  of 
the  garrison,  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  B.  Travis, 
who  was  still  sleeping.  Travis  was  a  dashing  young 
soldier  of  twenty-eight,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and 
a  native  of  North  Carolina.      The  commander  was 


238  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  red-hot "  for  independence,  and  one  who  never 
gave  up,  as  we  shall  soon  see. 

"So  you  wish  to  see  me,"  he  said  to  Stover, 
whom  he  had  met  before.  "  It's  rather  an  early 
visit." 

"I  have  to  report  that  a  large  body  of  Mexi- 
cans are  approaching  the  town,"  answered  the 
old  frontiersman,  saluting  in  true  military  style. 
"  Young  Radbury  here  and  myself  were  down 
along  the  Medina,  when  we  spotted  them  trying 
to  bring  a  couple  of  cannon  over  on  a  raft." 

"  Mexican  soldiers  ?  "  exclaimed  the  lieutenant- 
colonel.     "  You  are  certain  of  this  ?  " 

"  We  are." 

"  How  many  of  them  do  you  think  ?  " 

"At  least  a  thousand." 

The  commander  knit  his  brows  in  perplexity. 
"  It  is  odd  none  of  my  scouts  have  brought  me 
word.  But  a  fandango  —  "  He  broke  off  short,  as 
another  officer  came  in.      "  What  is  it,  Chester  ? " 

"  It  is  reported  that  some  Mexican  dragoons  are 
in  the  vicinity,  colonel." 

"These  people  here  tell  me  a  whole  army  is 
coming.     Where  did  your  report  come  from  ?  " 

"  The  church  steeple.  The  dragoons  are  in  the 
vicinity  of  Prospect  Hill,"  went  on  the  officer, 
mentioning  a  hill  to  the  west  of  San  Antonio. 

"  I  must  have  the  particulars  of  this  without 
delay,"  said  the  commander,  hurriedly ;  and  while 


THE   MEXICAN  ARMY.  239 

he  questioned  Stover  and  Dan  he  sent  for  several 
scouts,  who  were  hurried  off  to  verify  the  reports. 
When  the  scouts  came  back,  they  reported  that 
Santa  Anna's  army  was  coming  straight  for  San 
Antonio,  several  thousand  strong. 

The  whole  city  was  at  once  thrown  into  a  com- 
motion, and  it  was  felt  that  the  garrison  could  do 
little  or  nothing  toward  defending  the  place. 

"  We  are  but  a  hundred  and  forty  odd  strong," 
said  Lieutenant  A.  M.  Dickenson,  one  of  the  at- 
tachees  of  the  garrison.  "  We  cannot  hold  the 
plaza,  no  matter  how  hard  we  try.  Let  us  retreat 
to  the  Alamo,  until  we  can  summon  reinforce- 
ments." 

The  matter  was  hastily  discussed,  and  it  was 
decided  to  retreat  to  the  Alamo  without  delay. 
Later  on,  express  riders  were  sent  off  for  help,  — 
but  help  never  came  for  those  who  fought  so  nobly 
and  bitterly  to  the  very  last. 

The  retreat  from  the  town  to  the  mission  was 
necessarily  a  rapid  one,  for  Santa  Anna  was  ad- 
vancing with  all  possible  speed.  Few  stores  could 
be  taken  along,  but  as  the  garrison  swept  across 
the  plain  lying  between  the  city  and  the  mission, 
they  came  upon  a  herd  of  cattle,  numbering  thirty- 
six  heads,  and  drove  these  before  them  into  the 
mission's  courtyard. 

"  Let  us  go  with  the  soldiers  !  "  cried  Dan,  who 
was  as  excited  as  anybody.      "  If  there  is  a  battle 


24O  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

ahead  it  will  be  all  foolishness  to  attempt  to  look 
for  Carlos  Martine." 

"Well,  lad,  I'm  willing,"  replied  Stover.  "But 
I  don't  want  to  get  you  into  trouble." 

"  I'll  risk  the  trouble,  Poke ;  come  on,"  and  on 
they  went  after  the  garrison.  It  was  not  long 
before  they  reached  the  soldiers,  who  were  just 
rounding  up  the  cattle  mentioned,  and  in  this 
operation  the  two  assisted. 

It  was  felt  that  the  soldiers  might  be  besieged 
in  the  Alamo  for  quite  some  time,  so  as  soon  as 
the  cattle  were  rounded  up  some  of  the  men 
visited  the  near-by  houses,  and  collected  all  the 
stores  at  hand,  including  a  number  of  bushels  of 
wheat  and  some  dried  fruits. 

In  the  meantime  Santa  Anna's  army  had 
marched  into  San  Antonio,  and  taken  possession. 
This  done,  the  general  held  a  consultation  with 
his  leading  officers,  and  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce 
toward  the  mission. 

"  Flag  of  truce,"  announced  one  of  the  guards. 

"Very  well,  we'll  see  what  they  demand," 
said  Lieutenant-Colonel  Travis,  and  despatched 
Major  Morris  and  Captain  Marten  to  hold  the 
interview. 

"General  Santa  Anna  demands  the  immediate 
surrender  of  the  mission,"  said  the  official  sent 
out  by  the  Mexican  president. 

"We  will    convey   your  message  to  our  com- 


THE  MEXICAN  ARMY.  24 1 

mander,"  replied  the  major  of  the  Texans,  and 
withdrew. 

Travis  received  the  message  with  all  the  quiet 
dignity  for  which  he  was  noted. 

"  I  will  send  him  his  answer  at  once,"  he  re- 
plied, and  ordered  a  cannon-shot  to  be  fired  over 
the  heads  of  the  Mexican  army. 

This  threw  the  Mexicans  into  a  rage,  and  they 
quickly  hung  a  blood-red  flag  from  the  tower  of 
the  San  Fernando  Church  in  San  Antonio.  This 
flag  meant  "no  quarter,"  and,  as  it  went  up,  sev- 
eral cannon-shots  were  aimed  at  the  Alamo ;  and 
thus  was  the  battle  begun. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

WITHIN    THE    WALLS    OF    THE    MISSION. 

The  Alamo  church,  the  principal  building  of 
the  mission,  was  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  of 
rough  stone,  with  walls  several  feet  thick.  At  the 
time  of  the  battle  which  was  to  witness  its  downfall 
the  centre  of  the  structure  was  roofless,  but  the  ends 
were  well  covered.  The  sides  of  the  church  were 
over  twenty  feet  high,  and  the  windows  were  ex- 
ceedingly narrow,  for  the  building  had  been  built 
to  resist  attacks  by  the  Indians.  It  faced  both 
the  river  and  San  Antonio  proper. 

Attached  to  the  left  wing  of  the  church  was  a 
large  square  called  the  convent  yard,  with  walls  of 
heavy  stone  sixteen  feet  high.  Spread  out  in  front 
of  this  yard,  and  beyond  it,  was  the  convent,  two 
stories  high,  and  nearly  two  hundred  feet  long.  In 
front  of  the  convent  was  a  long  and  broad  plaza, 
covering  over  two  acres,  and  surrounded  by  walls 
at  either  end  and  by  the  convent  in  the  rear,  and 
a  house  and  wall  in  the  front.  On  the  right  of  the 
plaza  was  a  small  prison  and  a  gateway,  and  from 
242 


WITHIN  THE    WALLS.  243 

the  corner  of  the  prison  there  was  a  stockade  of 
cedar  logs  extending  to  the  nearest  corner  of  the 
church. 

For  this  extensive  fortress,  if  such  we  may  call 
it,  Lieutenant  Travis  had  less  than  twenty  cannon, 
and  the  construction  of  the  place  was  such  that 
but  few  of  the  pieces  could  be  placed  to  advan- 
tage, and  even  then  hardly  any  of  the  soldiers 
knew  how  to  do  any  effective  firing. 

Next  in  command  to  Travis  was  Colonel  James 
Bowie,  already  mentioned  in  these  pages,  and 
among  the  best  of  the  fighters  was  Davy  Crockett, 
celebrated  as  a  hunter  and  trapper,  who  had  come 
down  to  Texas,  with  twelve  other  Tennesseans, 
about  three  weeks  before  the  arrival  of  Santa 
Anna.  Crockett  carried  with  him  his  favourite 
rifle,  "Betsy,"  and  as  a  fighter  on  this  memorable 
occasion  proved  a  whole  host  in  himself. 

"We'll  whip  'em,"  said  Crockett,  confidently. 
"They  can't  stand  up  against  real  Americans." 

"You're  right,  Davy,"  answered  Bowie.  "An 
American  who  isn't  equal  to  a  dozen  greasers  isn't 
fit  to  live."  And  so  the  talk  ran  on  from  one  to 
another  of  the  garrison.  Once  Crockett  came  to 
Dan,  and  eyed  him  curiously. 

"  You're  rather  a  young  soldier  boy,"  he 
observed. 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  I  can  shoot." 

"  Can  you  bring  down  a  bird  on  the  wing  ?  " 


244  F0R    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  Yes,  he  can,  and  he  has  done  it  lots  of  times," 
put  in  Poke  Stover. 

"  If  that's  so,  he's  all  right,"  said  Crockett. 

Santa  Anna  did  not  make  an  immediate  attack 
on  the  Alamo,  for  the  reason  that  all  of  his  troops 
had  not  yet  arrived,  and  because  he  wished  to  give 
his  soldiers  a  little  rest  after  the  long  journey 
northward.  He  ordered  General  Castrillon  to 
knock  down  some  of  the  old  houses  near  the 
river,  and   construct   a  bridge  with  the    timbers. 

"  They  are  going  to  build  a  bridge !  "  was  the 
cry  that  went  through  the  Alamo. 

"A  bridge?  Where?"  asked  Crockett,  and, 
when  told,  he  smiled,  and  patted  his  rifle.  "  Let 
'em  try  it!" 

The  Mexicans  did  try,  and  soon  a  detachment 
of  at  least  a  hundred  were  at  work.  About  forty 
of  the  garrison,  led  by  Bowie  and  Crockett,  opened 
fire  upon  the  workers,  and  at  least  a  dozen  were 
killed. 

"  Down  they  go  !  "  was  the  cry.  "  Give  'em 
another  round  !  "  And  again  the  rifles  cracked 
at  a  lively  rate.  With  thirty  killed  outright,  and 
a  number  badly  wounded,  the  Mexicans  left  the 
river  in  a  great  hurry,  and  hid  in  the  neighbour- 
ing houses. 

On  February  24th,  Travis  sent  out  a  strong  ap- 
peal for  assistance.  "  I  am  besieged  by  a  thou- 
sand or  more  of  Mexicans,  under  Santa  Anna,"  he 


WITHIN  THE    WALLS.  245 

wrote.  "  I  have  sustained  a  continual  bombard- 
ment for  twenty-four  hours,  and  have  not  lost  a 
man.  The  enemy  has  demanded  a  surrender  at 
discretion  ;  otherwise  the  garrison  is  to  be  put 
to  the  sword  if  the  place  is  taken.  I  have 
answered  the  summons  with  a  cannon-shot,  and 
our  flag  still  waves  proudly  from  the  walls.  / 
shall  never  surrender,  or  retreat ! "  Could  any- 
thing be  more  unflinchingly  patriotic  than  that  ? 

This  appeal  was  followed  by  another,  and  a  des- 
patch was  sent  to  Colonel  Fannin,  at  Goliad,  asking 
him  to  bring  reinforcements  without  delay. 

"They  are  drawing  in  closer  to  us,"  said  Poke 
to  Dan,  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  as  the  two 
mounted  one  of  the  walls  for  a  survey  of  the 
situation.  Far  off,  a  portion  of  the  Mexican  army 
could  be  distinctly  seen. 

"  A  division  of  the  soldiers  is  approaching  with 
some  cannon,"  answered  the  youth.  He  was  right, 
and  presently  Santa  Anna  attempted  to  plant  a 
battery  three  hundred  yards  south  of  the  gateway 
to  the  plaza  of  the  mission. 

"  Shall  we  allow  that? "  asked  the  Texan  com- 
mander, while  the  Mexican  soldiers  were  coming 
up. 

"  No  !  No  !  "  came  back  the  cry.  "  Down  with 
the  Mexicans!"  And  in  less  than  five  minutes 
the  garrison  was  pouring  through  the  gateway  and 
out  on  the  plain  beyond.     The  sharpshooters  were 


246  FOR    THE    LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

in  front,  and  so  deadly  were  their  aims  that  the  en- 
emy  was  speedily  forced  to  retreat,  dragging  their 
cannon  with  them. 

"  Hurrah !  They  are  running !  "  shouted  the 
Texan s,  joyfully.  This  second  repulse  made  them 
more  determined  to  resist  than  ever. 

But  when  the  following  morning  came,  it  was 
seen  that  Santa  Anna  had  taken  advantage  of  the 
darkness  and  planted  the  battery,  anyway,  and  so 
well  was  it  protected  that  none  of  the  guns  from 
the  Alamo  could  reach  it.  But  the  sharpshooters 
under  Crockett  watched  the  gunners,  and  one 
Mexican  was  shot  dead  while  in  the  very  act  of 
discharging  a  shot  at  the  plaza  gate. 

"  It  looks  as  if  we  might  hold  this  place  for  an 
indefinite  period,"  said  Dan,  on  the  day  following. 
"  That  is,  if  we  don't  fall  short  of  provisions." 

"The  meat  we  drove  in  will  last  us  for  some 
time,  lad,"  answered  Stover.  "And  they  have 
found  a  lot  of  grain  in  one  of  the  friar's  houses. 
But  about  holding  the  place,  that's  a  question. 
We  are  only  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  strong. 
What  if  Santa  Anna  storms  the  place  some  night, 
with  several  thousand  men  ?  We'll  all  be  put  to 
the  bay'net  afore  sunrise." 

"  Do  you  really  think  he'll  do  such  a  barbarous 
thing,  Poke?" 

"  Think  it  ?  I  know  it.  He's  one  of  the  most 
bloodthirsty  Mexicans  a  man  ever  met.     To  sur- 


WITHIN  THE    WALLS.  2/tf 

render  to  him  would  be  foolish.  We've  got  to  do 
as  Travis  says,  fight  or  die." 

"Then  I'll  fight,  —  and  to  the  bitter  end," 
answered  the  boy,  earnestly.  The  enthusiasm  of 
those  around  him  had  entered  his  soul,  and  he 
had  forgotten  the  meaning  of  the  word  fear. 

As  one  day  and  another  passed,  Santa  Anna's 
army  increased  in  size,  and  he  succeeded  in  plant- 
ing many  other  batteries  around  the  Alamo.  The 
bombarding  was  continual,  yet  but  few  of  the 
Texans  suffered  from  this,  being  well  protected 
by  the  heavy  stone  walls  of  the  mission. 

On  the  first  of  March,  when  the  garrison  was 
much  worn  by  constant  guard  duty,  there  was  a 
commotion  during  the  night.  At  first  it  was 
thought  that  the  Mexicans  had  begun  an  attack, 
but  soon  it  was  discovered  that  the  newcomers 
were  Texans.  They  numbered  thirty-two  men 
from  Gonzales,  who  had  stolen  through  the  Mexi- 
can lines  with  scarcely  any  difficulty. 

"Henry  Parker!"  cried  Dan,  as  he  recognized 
his  friend  in  the  crowd.  "  I  never  dreamed  of 
seeing  you  here." 

"  I  couldn't  stay  behind,  after  I  read  Travis's 
appeal  for  help,"  answered  Henry  Parker.  "  I 
guess  a  lot  more  of  our  men  are  coming,  too." 
But  in  this  Parker  was  mistaken ;  none  others 
arrived  at  the  ill-fated  place.  Colonel  Fannin 
started    from    Goliad    with    three    hundred    men 


248  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

and  a  few  pieces  of  artillery,  but  his  ammunition 
wagon  broke  down,  he  had  no  rations  but  a  little 
rice  and  dried  beef,  and  at  the  river  his  cannon 
got  stuck  and  could  not  be  gotten  across.  So  the 
party  returned  whence  it  had  come. 

Henry  Parker  and  the  others  had  come  in  on 
Monday  night,  and  by  Tuesday  the  last  of  Santa 
Anna's  troops  arrived  at  San  Antonio.  Following 
this  came  three  days  in  which  but  little  was  done 
upon  either  side. 

"This  looks  as  if  the  Mexicans  were  going  to 
give  up  trying  to  take  the  place,"  remarked  Dan 
to  Stover,  as  both  rested  in  one  of  the  side  rooms 
of  the  convent  on  a  litter  of  straw. 

"  Don't  worry,  lad  ;  it  may  be  the  calm  afore  the 
storm,"  was  the  answer.  "  Sumthin'  is  bound  for 
to  happen  soon,  hear  me  !  " 

"  If  it  doesn't,  I'll  be  for  going  home,"  went  on 
Dan.  "I  believe  I  can  get  through  the  Mexican 
lines  just  as  well  as  Henry  Parker  and  those 
others." 

"  It  would  be  risky,  Dan,  mighty  risky."  Poke 
Stover  puffed  away  thoughtfully  at  the  corncob 
pipe  he  was  smoking.  "We  missed  it  altogether 
on  the  white  mustang  and  on  Carlos  Martine, 
didn't  we  ? " 

"  Yes.  I  would  like  to  know  if  Martine  is  still 
in  San  Antonio." 

"Like  as  not  —  and  hobnobbing:  with  some  of 


WITHIN  THE    WALLS.  249 

them  Mexican  officers,  too.  Well,  he  sha'n't 
have  your  pap's  land,  and  that's  all  there  is 
about  it." 

So  the  talk  ran  on,  man  and  boy  hardly  knowing 
how  to  put  in  their  time  when  not  on  guard  duty. 
At  first  the  mission  had  proved  of  much  interest, 
with  its  quaint  carvings  and  curious  decorations, 
but  now  even  this  was  beginning  to  pall. 

On  Saturday  Santa  Anna  called  a  counsel  of 
war,  and  at  this  it  was  decided  that  a  general 
assault  should  be  made  upon  the  Alamo  at  day- 
break on  Sunday.  The  assaulting  troops  num- 
bered twenty-five  hundred  against  a  pitiful  one 
hundred  and  eighty-two  Texans  !  —  and  were  di- 
vided into  four  columns,  the  first  of  which  was 
under  the  command  of  General  Cos,  the  same 
Mexican  who  had  surrendered  to  the  Texans  but 
a  short  time  before. 

Each  column  of  the  attacking  party  was  fur- 
nished with  ropes,  scaling-ladders,  crowbars,  and 
axes,  as  well  as  with  their  ordinary  military 
weapons.  As  the  soldiers  advanced,  the  cavalry 
were  drawn  up  in  a  grand  circle  around  the  Alamo, 
so  that  no  Texans  might  escape.  In  the  mean- 
time the  blood-red  flag  of  "  no  quarter "  was  still 
flying  high  from  the  Mexican  camp,  and  now  the 
band  struck  up  the  Spanish  quickstep,  "  Deguelo," 
or  "Cut-throat,"  as  an  inspiration  to  the  soldiers  to 
have  no  mercy  on  the  rebels ! 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE    FALL    OF    THE    ALAMO. 

"  The  enemy  are  upon  us  !  " 

This  cry,  ringing  clearly  throughout  the  Alamo, 
aroused  everybody  to  action,  and  hither  and  thither 
ran  the  soldiers  to  their  various  points  of  duty,  — 
some  in  uniform,  and  others  just  as  they  had  leaped 
up  from  their  couches. 

"Are  they  really  coming?"  demanded  Henry 
Parker,  who  had  been  sleeping  beside  Dan,  in  one 
of  the  rooms  of  the  convent. 

"I  reckon  they  are,  Henry,"  was  the  quick 
response,  and  up  leaped  the  youth,  and  ran,  gun  in 
hand,  to  where  Poke  Stover  was  doing  guard  duty. 

"  Are  they  coming,  Poke  ? " 

"  Yes,  Dan,  and  plenty  of  'em,  too.  They  are 
divided  into  several  divisions." 

There  was  no  time  to  say  more,  for  already  one 
of  the  divisions,  commanded  by  Colonel  Duque,  was 
attacking  the  northern  wall.  Here  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Travis  commanded  in  person.  The  com- 
mander was  bareheaded,  and  carried  a  sword  in 
one  hand  and  a  pistol  in  the  other. 
250 


THE   FALL    OF  THE   ALAMO.  25  I 

"  Now,  boys,  give  it  to  them  hot !  "  he  shouted. 
"  Don't  let  them  get  over  the  wall.  Fire  to  kill ! 
Fire  to  save  your  own  lives  !  "  And  then  the  can- 
non belched  forth,  followed  by  a  crack-cracking  of 
the  smaller  firearms.  The  aim  of  the  Texans  was 
so  deadly  that  the  column  was  repulsed  for  the 
moment,  and  Colonel  Duque  was  seriously  wounded. 

By  this  time  the  divisions  to  attack  the  other 
sides  of  the  mission  had  come  up.  As  one  column 
tried  to  raise  their  scaling-ladders,  Davy  Crockett 
threw  his  coonskin  cap  at  them  in  defiance,  and 
laid  one  of  the  officers  low  with  a  shot  from  his 
trusty  "Betsy."  Fifty  other  shots  rang  out,  and 
the  morning  air  became  heavy  with  the  smoke  of 
rifles  and  cannon. 

"  We  must  beat  'em  back !  "  cried  Stover,  who 
was  close  to  Crockett,  and  as  the  old  hunter  blazed 
away  so  did  the  frontiersman  and  Dan,  and  the 
youth  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  Mexican 
he  had  aimed  at  go  down,  rope  and  gun  in  hand, 
shot  through  the  ankle. 

The  fighting  was  now  incessant  on  all  sides,  but 
gradually  the  Mexicans  concentrated  on  the  north- 
ern wall.  They  were  yelling  like  so  many  demons, 
and  their  officers  urged  them  forward  by  threats 
and  sword  blows,  until  the  first  rank  was  fairly 
wedged  against  the  stone  wall  of  the  mission.  A 
cannon  belched  forth,  doing  fearful  havoc,  but  those 
in  front  could  not  retreat  because  of  those  pushing 


252  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

behind  them,  and  in  a  twinkle  one  Mexican  soldier 
was  piled  above  another,  until  the  top  of  the  wall 
was  gained,  and,  as  one  authority  states,  they  came 
"  tumbling  over  it  like  sheep,"  falling,  in  some  cases, 
directly  on  the  bodies  of  the  Texan s  below. 

"  The  convent  yard  is  taken ! "  was  the  cry. 
"To  the  convent!  To  the  hospital!"  And  as 
quickly  as  it  could  be  done  the  Texans  left  the 
yard. 

In  the  crowd  were  Dan,  Stover,  and  Henry 
Parker.  As  the  latter  turned,  a  Mexican  under- 
officer  aimed  his  pistol  at  the  young  man. 

"  Down,  Henry  !  "  yelled  Dan,  but,  before  Parker 
could  drop,  the  pistol  was  discharged  and  Henry 
Parker  fell  like  a  lump  of  lead,  shot  through  the 
brain. 

The  sudden  death  of  his  friend  made  Dan  spell- 
bound, and  he  gazed  at  the  corpse  in  horror.  Then 
he  felt  his  arm  seized  by  Poke  Stover,  and  in  a 
minute  more  found  himself  being  hurried  toward 
the  church. 

"We  can't  do  anything  more,"  exclaimed  the 
old  frontiersman.  "They  number  ten  to  one,  and 
more.  We  are  doomed,  unless  we  can  manage  to 
escape !  " 

"Poor  Henry  !  "  murmured  Dan,  when  he  could 
speak.      "What  will  his  mother  —  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  lad,  I  know  ;  but  we  can't  talk  about 
it  now.     Come  on." 


THE  FALL    OF   THE  ALAMO.  253 

"To  where?" 

"Anywhere,  away  from  that  howling,  raging 
mob  of  greasers.     They'll  show  us  no  quarter." 

"Travis  is  dead!"  said  somebody  who  was 
passing  them.  "  They  fairly  hacked  him  to 
pieces ! " 

As  Stover  and  Dan  ran  into  the  church  building, 
there  was  a  loud  report  in  the  courtyard.  The 
Mexicans  had  captured  one  of  the  cannon,  and 
turned  it  upon  the  long  ward  of  the  hospital  build- 
ing, and  the  grape-shot  laid  fifteen  Texans  low. 
The  Texans  were  now  fighting  from  room  to  room 
of  the  convent,  and  the  whole  place  looked  like  a 
slaughter-pen. 

"  To  the  church ! "  came  the  cry.  "  To  the 
church !  Let  the  last  stand  be  in  the  church  !  " 
The  cry  was  taken  up  on  all  sides,  and  every 
Texan  who  could  do  so  ran  for  the  church  with  all 
possible  speed.  In  the  meantime,  the  stockade 
had  been  carried,  and  fresh  Mexican  soldiers  were 
pouring  over  this  in  droves. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  church  stood  Davy 
Crockett,  clubbed  rifle  in  hand,  and  with  the  blood 
pouring  from  a  wound  in  the  head. 

"  Rally  around  me,  boys  !  "  he  shouted.  "  Don't 
give  up  !  We  are  bound  to  whip  'em  yet !  "  And 
as  the  first  of  the  Mexicans  came  on,  he  laid  two 
of  them  low  with  one  mighty  blow  of  his  favourite 
"  Betsy,"  that  cracked  the  rifle  in  half.     And,  as 


254     F0R    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

the  rifle  fell,  so  did  lion-hearted  Davy  Crockett, 
to  rise  no  more. 

With  the  fall  of  Crockett,  the  other  Texans, 
especially  those  who  had  emigrated  from  Tennes- 
see, fought  like  demons,  and  soon  the  whole  church 
was  so  thick  with  smoke  that  scarcely  one  man 
could  be  told  from  another.  In  a  side  apartment 
lay  Bowie,  suffering  from  a  fall  from  a  platform, 
where  he  had  been  directing  operations.  As  the 
Mexicans  swarmed  into  the  room,  Bowie  raised 
himself  up  and  fired  his  pistols.  Seeing  this,  the 
Mexicans  retreated,  and  fired  on  him  from  behind 
the  door,  killing  him  almost  instantly. 

It  had  been  decided  that,  should  the  worst 
come  to  the  worst,  the  Texans  must  fire  the 
powder-magazine  located  in  one  part  of  the 
church.  It  was  now  seen  that  further  resist- 
ance would  be  useless. 

"The  magazine!"  came  from  half  a  dozen. 
"  Blow  the  Mexicans  up  !  " 

"  I  will ! "  shouted  back  Major  T.  C.  Evans, 
commander  of  the  artillery,  and  started  forward 
with  a  firebrand  for  the  purpose.  The  Mexicans, 
however,  saw  the  movement,  and  before  Evans 
could  go  a  dozen  paces,  a  score  of  guns  were 
aimed  at  him,  and  he  went  down  fairly  riddled 
with  bullets. 

"  I'm  shot  !  "  cried  Poke  Stover,  in  the  midst 
of  the  din  and  confusion,  and  clapped  his  hand  tQ 


THE  FALL    OF  THE   ALAMO.  255 

his  left  shoulder.  He  had  been  leading  Dan  to  a 
rear  apartment  of  the  church,  between  overturned 
benches  and  sacks  of  wheat  and  rice. 

"Shot?"  gasped  the  boy.  "Where?  Oh,  I 
hope  it  isn't  serious  !  " 

"  It's  in  the  shoulder,"  and  the  old  frontiersman 
gave  a  suppressed  groan. 

"  Can  I  do  anything  for  you  ?  " 

"  No !  no !  not  now,  Dan.  Come,  before  it  is 
too  late." 

"  Where  to  ? " 

"  Let  us  see  if  we  can't  hide  from  these  blood- 
thirsty greasers.  It  is  worse  than  useless  to  stand 
up  ag'in  'em  longer  !  " 

Again  Stover  caught  hold  of  Dan,  and  the  two 
pushed  on  through  the  smoke  and  dust.  Rifle- 
shots still  cracked  out,  and  yells,  screams,  and 
curses  filled  the  air.  The  Alamo  had  fallen  and 
now  the  Mexicans  were  bent  upon  butchering 
every  Texan  who  still  remained  alive.  Out  of  the 
whole  gallant  garrison  not  one  man  was  spared ! 

Presently  Dan  and  his  companion  entered  a 
small  room  but  a  short  distance  away  from  the 
powder-magazine.  Here  all  was  pitch-dark,  as  the 
room  contained  no  window.  There  were  boxes 
and  barrels  stored  here,  but  for  what  purpose 
neither  knew.  Behind  several  of  the  boxes  was  a 
niche  about  three  feet  square,  and  almost  as  deep. 

"  It's  not  much  of  a  hidin'-place,"  said  Stover, 


256  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"but  I  reckon  as  how  it's  better  nor  nothin'. 
Anyway,  we  can't  do  no  more  than  try  it.  If 
they  root  us  out,  we'll  die  game." 

They  squeezed  themselves  into  the  opening, 
Stover  with  many  a  supressed  groan  over  his 
wounded  shoulder,  which  pained  him  not  a  little. 
Dan  had  been  struck  in  the  side  with  a  flying  bit 
of  masonry,  and  had  an  ugly  scratch  under  his 
arm  in  consequence,  but  just  now  he  counted 
this  as  little  or  nothing.  The  one  thing  was  to 
escape  with  their  lives.  To  fight  further  would 
indeed  have  been  sheer  foolishness. 

The  din  was  gradually  subsiding,  and  only  the 
occasional  yell  of  a  Texan  being  massacred  in  cold 
blood  reached  their  ears.  Dan  could  not  keep 
himself  from  shuddering.  What  a  terrible  Sunday 
morning  !  He  thought  of  the  ranch  home,  and  of 
his  father  and  Ralph.  Would  he  ever  see  those 
loved  ones  again  ? 

"  Hush  !  "  The  warning  came  from  Stover, 
and  he  placed  his  hand  over  Ralph's  mouth. 
Footsteps  were  approaching  the  little  room. 

"  Hunt  the  rats  out !  "  came  in  a  rough  Spanish 
voice.  "  Hunt  them  out !  Don't  let  one  of  them 
escape  your  bayonets  !  "  And  then  several  Mexi- 
can soldiers  entered  the  room  and  began  to  rum- 
mage among  the  boxes  and  barrels. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

ESCAPING   TO    THE    RIVER. 

When  the  soldiers  entered  the  little  room,  Dan 
felt  inclined  to  give  himself  and  his  companion  up 
as  lost.  He  felt  that  the  enemy  would  surely  look 
into  the  niche,  for  the  officer  meant  that  not  a  hole 
or  corner  should  be  missed. 

When  first  coming  in  he  had  loaded  a  pistol  he 
carried,  — his  gun  had  been  lost  in  the  fight  in  the 
courtyard,  — and  he  had  done  the  same  for  the  old 
frontiersman.  Boy  and  man  held  the  pistols  ready 
for  use.  They  did  not  mean  to  give  up  without  a 
final  struggle  at  close  quarters. 

But  just  as  one  of  the  soldiers  took  hold  of  a  big 
packing-case  that  hid  the  pair  from  view,  there 
was  a  commotion  in  the  church  proper,  followed  by 
the  discharge  of  several  rifles.  Three  Texans  had 
made  a  last  stand,  and  were  fighting  back  to  back. 

"  Come,  let  us  see  what  that  means,"  cried  the 
Mexican  officer,  and  ran  from  the  little  room, 
followed  by  his  companions. 

Dan  felt  relieved  for  the  moment,  yet  he  knew 
only  too  well  that  those  Mexicans,  or  others,  would 
257 


258  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

soon  be  coming  to  give  the  place  a  thorough  over, 
hauling. 

"They  will  kill  us  —  "  he  began,  when,  on  turn- 
ing, his  foot  struck  an  iron  ring  in  the  flooring  of 
the  niche.  He  felt  of  the  ring  and  soon  became 
convinced  that  it  was  attached  to  a  trap-door  of 
some   kind. 

"  If  it's  a  trap-door  it  must  lead  to  a  cellar ! " 
said  Stover,  hurriedly.  "  I  hope  to  heaven  it  does. 
Try  it,  lad,  an'  be  quick  !  " 

Both  crawled  from  the  narrow  opening,  and  Dan 
pulled  upon  the  ring  with  all  of  his  strength.  Up 
came  a  trap-door  about  two  feet  square.  Beneath 
this  was  a  space  of  inky  darkness. 

"  Don't  mind  the  dark,"  went  on  the  old  fron- 
tiersman. "  Let  me  go  fust,  and  be  sure  an'  shet 
the  trap  after  ye  !  " 

He  began  to  lower  himself  into  the  hole,  and  his 
feet  struck  a  flight  of  stone  steps.  Down  this  he 
sped  and  soon  reached  a  narrow  passageway  lined 
with  rough  stone,  from  which  the  moisture  oozed 
into  pools  at  his  feet. 

"  I'll  try  to  put  them  off  the  scent,"  said  Dan, 
and  drew  up  one  of  the  boxes  in  such  a  fashion  that, 
when  the  trap  fell  into  place,  the  box  came  down 
on  top  of  it.     Then  he  hastened  to  join  Stover. 

"  I  don't  believe  any  of  our  soldiers  knew  of 
this  secret  passage,"  said  Stover.  "I  wonder 
where  it  runs  to  ?  " 


HE    BEGAN    TO    LOWER    HIMSELF    INTO    THE    HOLE. 


ESCAPING    TO    THE  RIVER.  259 

"Perhaps  it  doesn't  run  to  anywhere,"  replied 
Dan.  "  Go  slow,  or  you  may  dash  your  brains  out 
on  the  rough  wall." 

They  moved  along  cautiously.  The  passageway 
was  not  over  six  feet  in  height  and  from  three  to 
four  feet  wide.  It  was  uneven,  but  soon  they 
found  themselves  going  downward  and  away  from 
the  church  and  convent,  as  they  learned  by  the 
muffled  noises  overhead. 

"This  is  some  secret  passage  put  in  by  the 
friars,  years  ago,"  was  Stover's  comment,  after 
several  hundred  feet  had  been  passed.  "  Like  as 
not  they  built  it  to  escape  in  case  the  Injuns 
attacked  'em." 

"  Well,  if  they  did,  it  must  lead  to  some  place 
of  safety,"  answered  Dan.  "  I  sincerely  hope  it 
does." 

Stover  was  still  suffering  great  pain,  and  he  had 
lost  so  much  blood  that  he  could  scarcely  walk. 

"  I  must  rest  and  try  to  bind  up  that  wound," 
he  panted,  and  sank  in  a  dead  faint  at  Dan's  feet. 

Dan  could  do  nothing  in  the  darkness,  and  now 
he  resolved  to  risk  a  light,  and  lit  the  stump  of  a 
candle  which  he  usually  carried  with  him  when  on 
a  hunting  expedition.  By  these  feeble  rays  he 
bound  up  the  wound  as  well  as  he  was  able  and 
also  attended  to  his  own  hurt.  Then,  as  Stover 
gave  a  long  sigh  and  opened  his  eyes,  he  blew  out 
the  light. 


260  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

"  Don't  make  a  light  ag'in,"  were  the  frontiers- 
man's first  words.  "  It  may  cost  us  our  lives. 
We  will  keep  still  and  lay  low,"  and  then  he 
became  partly  unconscious  again. 

The  hours  which  followed  were  like  some  hor- 
rible nightmare  to  Dan,  whose  nerves  had  been 
wrought  up  to  the  top  notch  of  excitement  by  the 
scenes  in  the  courtyard  and  the  church.  From  a 
distance  he  heard  calls  and  groans  and  an  occa- 
sional shot.  The  Alamo  had  fallen  and  now 
Santa  Anna  was  himself  upon  the  scene,  to  make 
certain  that  not  one  of  the  Texans  should  escape. 
"  I  told  them  what  to  expect,"  he  is  reported  to 
have  said,  and  then,  when  five  men  were  brought 
before  him,  and  his  own  officer,  General  Castrillon, 
interceded  for  the  Texans,  he  gave  Castrillon  a 
lecture  for  his  soft-heartedness,  and  the  prisoners 
were  speedily  put  to  the  bayonet.  Such  was 
Santa  Anna,  now  high  in  power,  but  who  was 
destined  in  time  to  be  shorn  of  all  rank  and 
to  die  in  bitter  obscurity.  His  last  act  of 
atrocity  at  the  Alamo  was  to  have  the  bodies  of 
his  victims  piled  up  with  layers  of  brushwood 
and  burned. 

The  hours  passed,  how  slowly  or  swiftly  neither 
Dan  nor  Poke  Stover  knew.  No  one  came  to 
disturb  them,  and  at  length  the  boy  sank  into  a 
doze  due  to  his  exhausted  condition. 

When  he  awoke  he  found  the  frontiersman  also 


ESCAPING    TO    THE  RIVER.  26 1 

aroused.  "  I  hope  the  sleep  did  ye  good,  Dan," 
he  said. 

"  Was  I  asleep  ?  I  did  not  know  it.  How  long 
have  we  been  here  ? " 

"I  can't  say." 

"  Have  you  heard  anything  more  of  the  Mexi- 
cans ? " 

"  Only  a  faint  sound  or  two,  comin'  from  behind. 
I  reckon  we  had  best  push  on  and  see  whar  this 
passage  leads  to." 

They  arose,  to  find  their  legs  stiff  from  the 
dampness  of  the  passageway.  At  least  three  hun- 
dred yards  were  passed,  and  still  there  seemed  to 
be  no  end. 

"  One  satisfaction,  we  are  gittin'  farther  away 
from  the  church,"  observed  Stover.  "  I  can't 
hear  nuthin'  now." 

"Nor  I,  Poke.  But  did  you  notice  how  wet 
the  passageway  is  getting  ? " 

"  I  did,  lad.  We  must  be  nigh  to  a  spring  or 
else  the  river." 

They  went  on  again,  but  not  for  long.  A  hun- 
dred feet  further  and  they  walked  into  water  up 
to  their  ankles. 

"  We  are  blocked,"  groaned  Dan.  "  What  if 
we  can't  get  out  this  way  ? " 

"  I  reckon  ye  had  best  strike  another  light." 

This  was  no  easy  matter  with  their  clothing 
and  everything  else  so  damp.     But  finally  the  light 


262  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

was  struck,  and  they  pushed  on  into  the  passage- 
way until  the  water  was  up  to  their  waists. 

"  We  can't  go  much  farther,"  said  Dan  soberly. 
"  Do  you  think  this  leads  to  the  river  ?  " 

"I  do ;  but  I  can't  say  how  far  off  the  stream 
is.     Let  us  go  a  little  farther." 

A  couple  of  rods  were  covered,  and  they  sank 
down  until  the  water  was  up  to  Dan's  neck. 

"  If  I  go  any  further  I'll  have  to  swim,"  he  ob- 
served, and  just  then  the  candle  slipped  from  his 
hand  and  fell  into  the  water,  leaving  them  in  total 
darkness. 

As  there  seemed  nothing  else  to  do,  they  moved 
back  to  the  nearest  dry  spot  and  sank  down  to 
rest  and  to  consider  the  matter. 

"  We  can  stay  here  for  several  days,  if  we  wish," 
said  Stover.     "  We  have  got  enough  to  drink." 

"  Yes,  but  I've  had  nothing  to  eat  since  last 
night." 

"  Neither  have  I.  But  I'd  rather  go  hungry 
nor  fall  into  them  greasers'  hands." 

"  If  the  river  is  ahead  we  ought  to  see  some 
light,  Poke." 

"  That's  true,  —  if  it's  daylight  outside.  But 
it  may  be  night." 

"Well,  we  can  watch." 

And  they  did,  first  one  going  down  into  the 
water,  and  then  the  other.  It  was  indeed  night, 
and  it  yet  lacked  several  hours  to  daylight. 


ESCAPING    TO    THE   RIVER.  263 

At  last  Dan  came  back  with  a  smile  on  his  face. 

"  I  swam  a  short  distance  down  the  passage- 
way," he  exclaimed,  "and  I  saw  a  faint  light.  I 
am  sure  it  leads  to  the  river." 

"Then  let  us  try  our  luck." 

"  Can  you  swim  with  that  wounded  shoulder  ?  " 

"  I  can  swim  with  one  hand,  lad,  although  I 
allow  it  will  be  slower  work  than  with  two 
hands." 

"Then  come  on.  If  we  can  get  away,  the 
sooner  the  better,"  returned  the  boy,  and  led  the 
way  into  the  water  once  more.  They  walked  as 
far  as  they  could  and  then  began  to  swim.  Stover 
insisted  on  taking  the  lead. 

"  I'm  used  to  scoutin',"  he  said.  "  We  don't 
want  to  run  in  no  hornet's  nest." 

The  water  now  reached  almost  to  the  top  of 
the  passageway,  and  they  had  to  move  with  cau- 
tion for  fear  of  striking  their  heads.  The  light 
grew  clearer  and  clearer  as  they  advanced,  until 
Stover  announced  that  he  could  see  the  river  bank 
ahead,  with  some  roots  of  trees  and  bushes  hang- 
ing down  in  the  passageway. 

"  Keep  back,  and  I'll  take  a  look  out,"  he 
whispered,  and  drew  slowly  to  the  end  of  the 
opening.  He  was  gone  several  minutes,  during 
which  time  Dan  supported  himself  by  clinging  to 
a  jagged  rock  sticking  out  from  overhead. 

"  Come  on  back ;    we  can't   escape  jest   yet," 


264  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

whispered  Poke  Stover,  on  his  return.  "Come," 
and  he  led  the  way  up  the  passageway  again. 

"But  why  can't  we  escape?"  asked  Dan, 
impatiently. 

"  Because  there  is  a  whole  company  of  Mexican 
soldiers  encamped  at  the  very  spot  where  this 
passageway  leads  into  the  stream,"  was  the 
answer  that  filled  the  youth  with  dismay. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  GENERAL  SAM  HOUSTON. 

The  Alamo  had  fallen,  and  now  it  was  necessary 
to  figure  up  results.  As  said  before,  all  of  the 
Texans,  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  in  number, 
had  been  slaughtered,  while  the  loss  to  the  Mexi- 
cans was  variously  estimated  at  from  three  to  five 
hundred.  The  sights  about  the  mission  were 
truly  horrible,  and  never  forgotten  by  those  who 
witnessed  them. 

It  must  be  said,  in  all  frankness,  that  the  defence 
of  the  Alamo  was  a  mistake,  for  those  gallant  men 
must  have  known  that  they  could  not  hold  out 
against  the  overwhelming  forces  of  Santa  Anna. 
And  they  did  not  remain  there  because  all  escape 
was  cut  off,  for  they  could  have  gotten  away  just 
as  easily  as  the  reinforcements  from  Gonzales  got 
in.  It  was  not  until  the  final  days  of  the  siege 
that  the  Mexicans  drew  around  them  closely. 

Why,  then,  did  they  remain  ? 

The  answer  is  one  that  every  American  boy 
and  man  ought  to  remember  with  pride.  They 
remained  because  of  the  principle  involved.  They 
265 


266  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

had  staked  their  lives  for  liberty  or  death,  and 
they  waged  the  contest  to  the  bitter  end. 

The  slaughter  of  the  Alamo  garrison  thrilled 
the  hearts  of  the  Texans  as  they  had  never  been 
thrilled  before.  Those  who  had  been  doubtful 
before  were  now  doubtful  no  longer.  "We  must 
be  independent,"  they  said,  "absolutely  indepen- 
dent. We  must  raise  a  regular  army.  We  must 
not  be  divided  into  factions,  but  must  fight  as  one 
man,  and  under  one  leader."  And  then  they  pre- 
pared to  strike  one  grand  blow  from  which  Santa 
Anna  should  never  be  able  to  recover. 

But  of  none  of  these  things  did  Dan  or  Poke 
Stover  think  as  they  rested  in  the  dark  passageway 
just  beyond  the  reach  of  the  water  from  the  river. 
Both  were  cold  and  hungry  and  almost  exhausted, 
yet  there  was  nothing  at  hand  to  eat,  and  rest 
seemed  out  of  the  question. 

"We  must  try  to  escape,  as  soon  as  it  grows 
dark,"  said  the  old  frontiersman,  and  all  through 
that  long,  weary  day  they  waited  and  watched  for 
the  light  to  disappear  up  the  passageway.  At  last 
it  was  gone,  and  they  swam  again  to  the  river, 
making  as  little  noise  as  possible. 

At  the  opening  were  a  number  of  bushes,  and, 
as  they  emerged  among  these,  they  heard  the  foot- 
steps of  a  Mexican  sentinel  not  a  dozen  feet  off. 
At  a  distance  was  the  camp,  with  several  fires 
burning  brightly. 


GENERAL   SAM  HOUSTON.  267 

Suddenly  Stover  caught  Dan  by  the  arm,  and 
pointed  to  a  tree  overhanging  the  stream.  Under 
the  tree  was  a  long  canoe  with  the  paddle  lying  at 
the  bottom. 

"  We'll  set  the  canoe  adrift,  and  float  down  the 
stream  with  it,"  whispered  Stover,  so  softly  that 
Dan  could  scarcely  hear  him.  "It's  our  one 
chance." 

They  waited  until  the  sentinel  had  turned  to 
walk  to  the  other  end  of  his  station,  then  slipped 
down  and  swam  over  to  the  canoe.  It  was  drawn 
partly  up  over  some  marsh-grass,  and  they  easily 
dislodged  it.  Then  they  turned  it  down  the  stream 
and  kept  along  with  it  as  it  floated,  their  heads  up, 
on  the  side  opposite  to  the  Mexican  camp. 

They  expected  that  the  Mexican  sentinel  would 
discover  the  floating  canoe,  but  such  was  not  the 
fact  until  they  were  twenty  yards  from  the  mouth 
of  the  passageway.  Then  the  Mexican  turned 
and  stared  stupidly. 

"The  canoe  has  drifted  off,"  he  murmured  to 
himself,  in  Spanish.  "Well,  it  is  not  mine,  so 
why  should  I  care  ?  Let  the  owner  take  care 
of  his  property."     And  he  resumed  his  walk. 

As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  the  range  of  the 
light  from  the  camp-fires,  Poke  Stover  crawled 
into  the  canoe  and  took  up  the  paddle. 

"  Stay  where  you  are,  Dan,"  he  said.  "  They 
needn't  have  but  one  of  us  to  shoot  at,"  and  while 


268  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Dan  clung  fast  to  the  rear  of  the  craft,  Stover 
paddled  with  all  the  vigour  at  his  command,  which 
was  considerable,  considering  his  condition. 

In  ten  minutes  they  were  out  of  rifle-range,  and 
safe,  and  then  the  frontiersman  sent  the  craft 
ashore,  and  he  and  Dan  climbed  to  the  river  bank. 
"  Thank  God,  we  are  out  of  that ! "  exclaimed 
Stover,  fervidly,  and  Dan  uttered  a  hearty 
Amen. 

"  I  think  the  fust  thing  we  want  to  do  is  to  git 
sumthin'  to  eat,"  remarked  Stover,  after  they  had 
rested  for  a  bit.  "I'm  that  hungry  I  could  eat 
most  anything." 

"I  don't  know  this  location  at  all,  Poke. 
Where  are  we  ?  " 

"Not  many  miles  from  the  Gonzales  road,  lad. 
About  a  mile  back  is  Nat  Woodver's  cabin.  I 
reckon  as  how  we'll  git  a  warm  welcome  there,  if 
Nat  is  able  to  give  it  to  us." 

They  set  out  in  the  darkness,  and  reached  the 
cabin  half  an  hour  later.  They  found  that  the 
settler  was  away,  to  join  the  army ;  but  his  wife 
and  daughters  were  home,  and  they  speedily 
did  all  they  could  for  our  friends,  giving  them  a 
hot  supper,  and  dressing  the  wounds  as  skilfully 
as  trained  nurses.  They  had  heard  of  the  fall  of 
the  Alamo,  but  had  not  imagined  that  all  of  the 
garrison  were  slaughtered. 

His  awful  experience  had  driven  Carlos  Martine 


GENERAL  SAM  HOUSTON.  269 

entirely  out  of  Dan's  head,  and  all  the  youth 
thought  of  now  was  to  rejoin  his  father  and  his 
brother. 

"  They  will  worry  about  us,  Poke,"  he  said. 
"  More  than  likely  they  will  think  us  dead,  for 
they  must  know  that  all  of  the  Texans  in  and 
about  San  Antonio  went  to  the  Alamo  when 
Santa  Anna  appeared." 

"  You  are  right,  lad  ;  we'll  steer  for  the  ranch  the 
first  thing  in  the  morning,"  answered  Stover,  and 
this  they  did,  riding  two  ponies  that  Mrs.  Woodver 
loaned  them. 

When  the  pair  reached  Gonzales  they  found  the 
town  wild  with  excitement.  The  news  of  the 
disaster  of  the  Alamo  had  just  come  in,  and  by 
the  deaths  of  the  thirty-two  men  from  Gonzales 
who  had  entered  the  mission  shortly  before  it  fell, 
twenty  women  were  left  widows  and  twice  as  many 
children  fatherless.  One  woman  went  crazy,  and 
rushed  about  the  streets  crying  for  the  Mexicans 
to  come  and  kill  her,  too.  It  is  needless  to  add 
that  the  Parkers  were  deeply  affected  over  the  loss 
of  Henry. 

As  Dan  and  Stover  were  about  to  start  for  the 
trail  leading  up  the  Guadalupe,  they  met  Amos 
Radbury  riding  post-haste  into  Gonzales. 

"My  son!"  cried  the  father,  joyfully.  "And 
Poke,  too  !     I  was  afraid  you  were  dead  !  " 

"We  came  close  enough  to  it,  father,"  answered 


270  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

Dan.  And  then  he  and  the  frontiersman  told  their 
stories  in  detail. 

"  I  would  have  gone  with  the  men  from  Gon- 
zales," said  Lieutenant  Radbury,  "but  I  hated  to 
leave  Ralph  home  with  nobody  but  Pompey. 
These  are  certainly  terrible  times.  I  wonder  what 
Santa  Anna  will  do  next  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  he'll  march  on  Gonzales,"  said  the 
youth.  "  It  looks  as  if  he  meant  to  wipe  out 
everybody  in  Texas." 

"  The  whole  State  is  aroused  now.  It  must  and 
will  be  a  fight  to  the  finish.  If  the  Texans  are 
whipped,  every  ranch  will  go  up  in  flames,  and 
every  man  will  be  butchered." 

The  party  returned  to  Gonzales,  for  Amos  Rad- 
bury did  not  want  to  return  to  the  ranch,  now  he 
knew  that  Dan  was  safe. 

While  the  siege  of  the  Alamo  was  in  progress, 
the  General  Convention  of  Texas,  which  had  been 
called,  met  at  Washington,  and  a  declaration  of 
independence  was  adopted,  and  General  Sam 
Houston  was  unanimously  reelected  commander- 
in-chief,  with  absolute  authority  over  all  army 
forces,  regular  and  volunteer.  Heretofore,  Hous- 
ton had  been  little  more  than  commander  in  name  ; 
now  it  was  felt  upon  all  sides  that  he  must  be  given 
the  absolute  authority  that  the  situation  demanded. 
All  other  appointments  which  had  been  made  in  a 
haphazard,  irregular  way  were  abolished. 


GENERAL  SAM  HOUSTON.  27 1 

For  the  work  that  was  ahead  no  better  selection 
of  a  leader  than  that  of  General  Sam  Houston 
could  have  been  made.  Houston  was  born  in 
Virginia,  in  1793,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
enlisted  for  the  war  of  18 12,  becoming  an  ensign, 
and  fought  with  such  courage  that  he  and  General 
Jackson  became  warm  friends.  At  thirty  years  of 
age  he  became  a  member  of  Congress,  and  five 
years  later  he  was  made  governor  of  Tennessee, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the  West. 
He  was  up  for  reelection,  when  some  unfortunate 
domestic  difficulties  overtook  him,  and  he  resigned 
his  position  and  plunged  into  the  wilderness,  taking 
up  his  abode,  later  on,  with  some  friendly  Indians 
with  whom  he  had  hunted  years  before.  These 
Indians  elected  him  one  of  their  great  chiefs,  and 
in  return  for  this,  Houston  went  to  Washington  for 
them  and  exposed  a  number  of  Indian  agents  who 
had  been  defrauding  the  red  men  out  of  the  allow- 
ances made  to  them  by  the  government.  For  this 
these  Indians  swore  undying  friendship,  and  they 
called  Houston  their  best-beloved  brother  to  the 
day  of  his  death.  Because  of  his  life  among  the 
red  men  Houston  frequently  attired  himself  in  an 
Indian  blanket  and  stuck  in  his  hair  the  feathers 
of  a  chief,  a  custom  that  was  often  followed  by 
other  mighty  hunters  of  this  portion  of  our  country. 

Besides  being  governor  of  Tennessee,  Houston 
had  been  a  lawyer  of  well-known  reputation,  and 


272  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

as  such  had  closely  studied  legal  affairs  relating  to 
the  United  States,  Texas,  and  Mexico.  He  saw, 
long  before  war  was  declared,  that  Texas  must  one 
day  strike  for  freedom,  and  he  resolved,  after 
leaving  the  Indians,  to  throw  in  his  fortunes  with 
the  Texans,  or  Texians,  as  some  have  called  them. 
As  soon  as  he  arrived  he  took  hold,  in  his  own 
peculiar  way,  of  certain  public  affairs,  and  at  a 
meeting  at  Nacognoches  he  was  elected  com- 
mander of  the  forces  of  eastern  Texas.  This 
was  directly  after  the  opening  of  hostilities  at 
Gonzales. 

Had  Houston  been  allowed  to  act  as  he  wished 
from  the  start,  it  is  possible  that  the  slaughter  at 
the  Alamo  might  have  been  avoided,  but,  as  men- 
tioned before,  matters,  politically,  were  very  much 
mixed,  and  there  were  frequent  clashes  of  authority. 
Some  secondary  leaders  took  the  liberty  to  do  about 
as  they  saw  fit,  and  at  one  time  it  looked  as  if 
Houston's  command  would  fall  to  pieces.  In  the 
midst  of  this  came  trouble  with  the  Indians,  but 
this  was  patched  up  by  the  man  who  had  lived 
so  long  among  them  and  who  understood  them 
thoroughly. 

As  the  Convention  which  had  reelected  Houston 
commander-in-chief  of  the  army  was  in  session,  the 
President  was  handed  a  letter  from  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Travis,  making  a  last  appeal  for  help.  As 
the  letter  was  read  there  was  wild  excitement,  and 


GENERAL   SAM  HOUSTON.  2?$ 

then  it  was  moved  that  the  meeting  adjourn  and 
the  members  march  in  a  body  to  the  relief  of  the 
Alamo. 

But  Houston  would  not  have  this.  "  Your 
place  is  here,  gentlemen,"  he  said.  "  Here,  to  pass 
laws  and  make  our  State  an  assured  fact.  I  will 
take  the  field  and  organise  a  relief  force,  and  I 
give  you  my  word  that  no  enemy  shall  come  near 
you."  The  Convention  settled  down,  and  inside 
of  an  hour  Houston,  accompanied  by  several  of  his 
staff,  was  riding  like  the  wind  for  Gonzales. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

IN    WHICH    THE    TEXAN    ARMY    FALLS    BACK. 

As  the  excitement  in  Gonzales  continued,  and 
there  was  no  telling  what  would  happen  next, 
Amos  Radbury  resolved  to  remain  in  the  town 
for  at  least  several  days. 

"  If  I  am  needed  I  shall  reenter  the  army,"  he 
said. 

"Then  I  shall  go  with  you,"  said  Dan. 

"  But  your  side,  my  son  —  " 

"  My  side  is  all  right  again.  It  was  a  mere 
scratch." 

"I  wish  I  could  call  my  wound  a  scratch,"  put 
in  Poke  Stover.  "  But  instead  of  getting  better 
my  shoulder  seems  to  get  wuss,  hang  the  luck." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  for  you  to  go 
up  to  the  ranch,  and  take  it  easy,"  said  Amos  Rad- 
bury. "  Pompey  can  wait  on  you,  and  at  the 
same  time  you  can  keep  an  eye  on  Ralph  and 
the  place.  I  do  not  like  to  leave  my  boy  and 
the  negro  all  alone." 

"Then  I'll  go  up  to  once,"  answered  the  fron- 
tiersman.    "  I'm  no  good  at  fighting  in  the  saddle, 

274 


THE    TEX-AN  ARMY  FALLS  BACK.  2?$ 

but  perhaps  I  can  mind  things  about  the  ranch,  as 
you  say."  And  he  departed  up  the  Guadalupe 
before  night.  His  going  was  a  great  relief  to  the 
planter,  for  he  was  afraid  Ralph  might  get  into 
trouble  if  left  to  his  own  devices.  And  in  this 
he  was  not  far  wrong,  for  when  Stover  reached 
the  ranch  he  found  that  the  youngest  Radbury 
had  just  heard  of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo,  and  was 
going  to  ride  off  in  the  direction  of  San  Antonio, 
thinking  to  find  his  father  and  brother  there. 

In  the  meantime,  General  Houston,  having  heard 
of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo,  at  once  sent  word  to 
Colonel  Fannin  to  blow  up  the  powder-magazine 
at  Goliad,  and  abandon  the  place.  "You  must 
hurry  all  you  can,"  added  the  commander-in-chief, 
"  for  the  enemy  is  reported  to  be  advancing 
upon  you."  Fannin  was  to  intrench  at  Victoria, 
on  the  Guadalupe,  and  await  further  orders. 

Colonel  Fannin  was  in  command  of  between 
four  hundred  and  five  hundred  men,  the  majority 
of  whom  were  volunteers  from  the  United  States, 
including  the  New  Orleans  Grays,  the  Georgias, 
the  Alabama  Red  Rovers,  and  the  Kentucky 
Mustangs.  On  receiving  Houston's  order  he  sent 
out  one  of  his  captains  to  bring  in  the  settlers 
and  their  families  at  Refugio.  Before  the  settlers 
could  be  assisted,  the  Texans  were  attacked  by 
an  advance  guard  of  Mexican  cavalry,  and  then 
Fannin   sent   out   another  body   of    men    to   help 


276     FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

the  first.  There  were  several  fierce  skirmishes, 
and  the  Texans  tried  to  get  away,  but  in  the  end 
they  were  either  shot  down  or  taken  prisoners. 

Having  tried  in  vain  to  give  succour  to  those 
sent  to  Refugio,  Colonel  Fannin  started,  several 
days  later,  for  Victoria,  after  dismantling  his  fort 
and  burying  his  cannon.  Not  a  Mexican  was  in 
sight  as  the  troop,  numbering  about  three  hun- 
dred, crossed  the  San  Antonio  River  and  marched 
across  the  prairie,  and  coming  to  a  fine  bit  of 
grazing  ground  the  colonel  halted  to  give  his 
horses  a  chance  to  feed  and  to  rest. 

"  We  ought  not  to  halt  here,  —  we  ought  to 
push  on  to  the  timber,"  said  one  under-officer, 
and  several  others  agreed  with  him,  but  the  halt 
was  made,  and  time  lost  that  proved  fatal  to  the 
entire  expedition. 

The  soldiers  had  just  resumed  their  march  when 
some  Mexican  cavalry  were  seen  at  a  distance,  in 
front.  Hardly  had  they  spread  out  before  the 
Texans  when  a  large  force  of  Mexican  infantry 
appeared  to  the  rear.  This  was  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  a  little  later  the  Texans  were 
entirely  surrounded,  and  the  Mexicans  began  a 
furious   attack. 

The  Texans  formed  into  something  of  a  square, 
with  the  wagons  in  the  centre,  and  the  artillery  at 
the  corners,  and  so  withering  was  their  fire  that 
the  Mexicans  were  repulsed  again  and  again,  and 


THE    TEXAN  ARMY  FALLS  BACK.         277 

retreated,  leaving  the  prairie  crimson  with  the 
blood  of  the  dead  and  wounded.  With  the  Mexi- 
cans were  a  number  of  Indians,  but  they  quickly 
retreated  when  their  leaders  were  shot  down  by 
the  Texan    sharpshooters. 

As  night  came  on,  Colonel  Fannin  called  his 
men  together,  and  asked  them  if  they  wished  to 
remain  and  fight  it  out,  or  try  to  escape  to  the 
timber.  "  You  can  escape  if  you  wish,"  he  said, 
"for  the  Mexicans  are  demoralised  by  the  large 
numbers  that  they  have  lost." 

"  We  can't  leave  the  wounded  to  be  butchered," 
was  the  reply.  "We  will  stand  by  them  to  the 
end,"  and  so  they  remained. 

In  the  morning  it  was  seen  that  the  enemy  had 
been  reinforced,  and  once  again  the  battle  was 
renewed,  the  Mexicans  opening  with  their  howit- 
zers loaded  with  grape  and  canister,  and  doing 
fearful  damage.  At  last  the  Texans  could  stand 
it  no  longer,  and  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce,  although 
against  Colonel  Fannin's  desire. 

The  flag  was  received,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
the  Texans  should  surrender  as  prisoners  of  war, 
to  be  treated  according  to  the  usages  of  civilised 
nations.  Their  arms  were  then  taken  from  them, 
and  they  were  marched  back  to  Goliad,  and  placed 
in  an  old  church  in  that  town.  The  wounded 
were  also  brought  in,  but  only  a  few  received 
medical    aid. 


278  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

It  had  been  stipulated  that  the  prisoners'  lives 
be  spared,  yet  when  the  capture  of  the  Goliad 
garrison  was  reported  to  General  Santa  Anna  he 
instantly  sent  word  that  all  of  the  prisoners  should 
be  taken  out  and  shot!  The  command  was  an  in- 
famous one,  yet  it  was  obeyed  almost  to  the  letter, 
only  a  handful  of  the  Texans  escaping  out  of 
about  three  hundred.  Small  wonder  was  it  that 
Santa  Anna  was  often  termed  the  Mexican 
butcher. 

Houston's  arrival  at  Gonzales  did  something 
toward  allaying  the  excitement,  and  in  a  short 
time  he  gathered  together  some  three  hundred 
men.  But  as  report  after  report  came  in  of  the 
advance  of  Santa  Anna  with  a  large  force,  he  felt 
that  it  would  be  useless  to  give  battle,  and  began 
to  fall  back  toward  the  Colorado  River,  hoping 
there  to  be  joined  by  Fannin  and  others.  He 
took  with  him  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  Gon- 
zales, and  the  town  was  left  behind  in  flames. 

With  the  army  went  Amos  Radbury  and  Dan, 
both  well  mounted  and  well  armed.  The  first 
stop  was  at  Peach  Creek,  fifteen  miles  distant ; 
and  here,  on  the  day  following,  over  a  hundred 
additional  volunteers  joined  Houston's  command. 
From  Peach  Creek  the  little  army  moved  to 
Nevada  Creek,  and  here  Houston  delayed  his 
march  in  order  that  some  of  his  men  might  bring 
in  a  blind  widow,  who  had  been  left  at  her  home 


THE    TEXAN  ARMY  FALLS  BACK.  279 

some  distance  back  with  her  six  children.  When 
the  Colorado  was  gained,  the  army  went  into  camp 
at  Burnham's  Crossing,  and  then  across  the  river 
at  Beason's  Crossing. 

Here  the  general  received  news  of  the  surrender 
of  Fannin's  force,  brought  by  a  settler  from  Goliad. 
This  was  a  great  blow  to  Houston,  and  he  felt  that 
he  must  fall  back  still  farther,  and  wait  for  rein- 
forcements from  other  sources  before  risking  a 
battle  with  the  powerful  Mexican  general  who  was 
bent  upon  crushing  him.  He  began  to  fall  back 
to  the  Brazos  River. 

The  retreat  toward  the  Brazos  caused  much 
murmuring.  "Houston  is  a  coward,  —  he  won't 
fight  the  greasers,"  said  some,  but  others  who  un- 
derstood their  commander  more  thoroughly  said 
nothing  and  did  as  ordered.  Once  an  under-officer 
tried  to  start  an  open  rebellion,  but  Houston  threat- 
ened to  "lick  him  out  of  his  boots,"  if  he  didn't 
mind  his  own  business.  Then  he  made  a  little 
speech,  and  told  the  men  that  he  would  soon  give 
them  all  the  fighting  they  wanted,  and  "on  the 
top  side,"  as  he  expressed  it.  Many  of  the  vol- 
unteers were  of  lawless  character,  and  it  needed 
just  such  a  man  as  the  dashing  and  daring,  yet 
cautious,  Houston  to  keep  them  in  check  and 
make  them  do  their  best  when  the  proper  moment 
arrived. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  this,  father  ? "    asked 


28o  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

Dan  of  his  parent,  when  the  retreat  toward  the 
Brazos  was  ordered. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  it,"  answered 
Amos  Radbury.  "  I  suppose  General  Houston 
knows  what  he  is  doing." 

"  But  see  how  the  settlers  are  leaving  their 
homes.     There  is  a  regular  panic  among  them." 

"  That  is  true,  Dan.  I  wish  I  knew  how  Ralph 
and  Stover  are  faring  at  home." 

"  Can  we  get  back  to  them  ? " 

"  Hardly  now,  for  we  would  most  likely  have  to 
pass  right  through  Santa  Anna's  lines.  I  do  not 
believe  it  will  be  long  before  we  have  a  big 
fight." 

"  Do  you  believe  it  is  true  that  Colonel  Fannin 
has  been  defeated  ? " 

"It  may  be  so,  for,  judging  by  what  took  place 
at  the  Alamo,  Santa  Anna  must  have  a  large  army 
concentrating  here." 

It  was  raining  at  the  time ;  indeed,  it  rained 
now  nearly  every  day,  and  the  march  was  any- 
thing but  a  pleasant  one.  Often  the  wagons  and 
cannon  got  stuck,  and  the  men  had  to  put  their 
shoulders  to  the  wheels  to  help  things  along.  Vol- 
unteers came  and  went,  and  so  did  the  settlers, 
and  sometimes  the  commander  could  not  calculate 
how  many  men  he  had  to  rely  upon  in  case  of 
emergency.  Yet  on  struggled  the  body  until,  on 
March  28th,  the  army  reached  San  Felipe.     From 


THE    TEXAN  ARMY  FALLS  BACK.  28 1 

here  they  went  up  the  Brazos  and  encamped  near 
Groce's  Ferry. 

In  the  meantime,  Santa  Anna's  army  was  press- 
ing forward,  but  in  several  different  ways.  The 
Mexican  general  had  thought  that  the  slaughter  at 
the  Alamo  and  the  massacre  at  Goliad  would  make 
the  Texans  submit  without  further  difficulty.  He 
had  yet  to  learn  that  it  was  indeed  liberty  or  death 
with  these  stern  people,  who  were  so  soon  to  risk 
their  all  in  one  final  contest. 

One  portion  of  the  Mexican  army,  having  gained 
the  Colorado,  crossed  in  rafts,  while  another  portion 
moved  upon  San  Felipe ;  and  then  a  portion  of 
the  concentrated  forces  went  to  Fort  Bend.  From 
here  Santa  Anna  pushed  on,  through  the  rain  and 
mud,  to  Harrisburg,  hoping  to  surprise  the  town  ; 
but,  when  he  arrived,  the  place  was  practically 
abandoned. 

He  wished  most  of  all  to  capture  the  heads  of 
the  government  the  Texans  had  set  up,  and,  learn- 
ing they  were  off  for  Galveston  Island,  he  set  out 
on  the  march  for  New  Washington,  which  is  located 
just  north  of  Galveston  Bay. 

Houston,  hearing  that  Santa  Anna  had  at  last 
crossed  the  Brazos,  began  to  march  south  to  meet 
him.  The  Texans  encamped  at  Buffalo  Bayou, 
opposite  to  what  was  left  of  the  smoking  ruins  of 
Harrisburg.  Every  soldier  was  now  more  than 
eager  to  fight. 


282  FOR    THE   LIBERTY   OF   TEXAS. 

"  Very  well ;  fight  you  shall,"  said  General 
Houston. 

"  We  will !  We  will !  "    shouted  the  soldiers. 

Then  Houston  continued  :  "  Some  of  us  may  be 
killed,  and  some  must  be  killed.  But,  boys,  re- 
member the  Alamo ! " 

"  Yes,  we  will  remember  the  Alamo ! "  came 
back  in  a  deep  chorus.  "  Down  with  every  Mexi- 
can in  the  State  of  Texas  !  " 

Buffalo  Bayou  was  crossed  with  great  difficulty, 
on  rafts  and  by  swimming,  and  the  soaked  and 
weary  army  took  its  way  to  Lynch's  Ferry,  where 
the  Buffalo  Bayou  and  the  San  Jacinto  River  join. 
Here  were  found  some  rafts  belonging  to  the 
Mexicans,  piled  high  with  army  stores,  and  these 
were  confiscated.  Falling  back  to  a  shelter  of 
live-oaks,  General  Houston  planted  his  cannon, 
and  then  prepared  to  fight  the  enemy  on  sight. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

THE    VICTORY    OF    SAN    JACINTO. 

"  I  reckon  we  are  in  for  it  now,  father." 

"  Yes,  Dan,  we  shall  soon  see  some  heavy  fight- 
ing, I  am  afraid.  I  trust  you  come  out  of  it 
unharmed." 

"And  I  hope  you  come  out  unharmed,  too, 
father,"  added  Dan,  earnestly. 

The  two  sat  under  a  live-oak,  overlooking  a 
wide  expanse  of  prairie,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
patches  of  timber.  Behind  them  flowed  the  broad 
and  muddy  stream,  with  a  stretch  of  treacherous 
marsh-land  separating  them  from  the  water.  The 
soldiers  had  been  formed  into  something  resem- 
bling companies,  and  Mr.  Radbury  had  been  as- 
signed to  his  old  position  of  lieutenant,  with  Dan 
as  one  of  the  privates  under  him. 

The  Texans  had  gathered  around  in  little  knots 
to  discuss  the  situation  in  low  tones.  Under  one 
of  the  trees  stood  General  Houston,  clad  in  noth- 
ing more  striking  than  an  old  slouch  hat,  a  shiny 
black  coat,  and  a  light-coloured  pair  of  trousers 
which  had  long  since  seen  their  best  days.  His 
283 


284  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS, 

sword,  also  an  old  affair,  was  tied  to  his  belt  with 
bits  of  a  lariat.  Altogether  he  looked  anything 
but  a  general  bent  upon  leading  a  raw  and  un- 
disciplined army  to  victory. 

"  We  will  win  !  "  he  was  saying.     "  We  cannot 
afford  to  lose.     The  whole  fate  of  Texas  hangs 


upon  our  courage 


Amos  Radbury  looked  at  Dan,  and  something  of 
a  smile  crossed  his  face.  "  Did  you  hear  that, 
lad  ? "  he  asked.  "  I  believe  our  general  speaks 
the  truth.     He  is  not  a  man  to  fail." 

The  day  wore  along  until  two  in  the  afternoon, 
when  several  cannon-shots  were  heard  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  incoming  scouts  announced  that  Santa 
Anna  was  coming,  but  not  with  his  entire  army. 
The  Mexican  general  had  divided  his  forces  again, 
much  to  his  disadvantage,  as  we  shall  see. 

A  light  skirmish  occurred  late  in  the  afternoon, 
but  Houston  could  not  draw  on  a  general  engage- 
ment, and  while  Santa  Anna  pitched  his  camp  and 
fortified  it,  the  Texans  remained  on  strict  guard  all 
night,  fearing  a  surprise. 

In  the  morning  General  Cos  arrived  with  five 
hundred  men,  to  reinforce  Santa  Anna,  but  the 
soldiers  were  so  tired  out  by  a  forced  march  they 
could  scarcely  stand,  and  so  for  the  time  being  the 
Mexican  general  did  nothing.  In  the  meantime, 
the  Texans  called  a  council  of  war.  Some  were 
for  attacking  the  Mexicans,  and  others  wanted  to 


THE    VICTORY  OF  SAN  JACINTO.  285 

wait  to  be  attacked.  Houston  said  but  little,  yet 
by  his  face  he  showed  that  some  plan  of  action  was 
forming  in  his  brain. 

The  council  over,  the  commander  called  two 
trusty  scouts  to  him,  and  sent  them  off  with  axes 
on  a  secret  mission,  which  was  to  cut  away  the 
bridge  by  which  both  armies  had  reached  their 
present  encampments.  This  done,  neither  could 
retreat,  so  the  fight  would  have  to  be  "to  a  finish." 

"  To  arms  !  "  came  the  call  in  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  and  the  solitary  drum  the  Texans  pos- 
sessed began  to  roll.  Then,  as  the  men  formed  to 
march,  the  single  fifer  struck  up  the  popular  tune 
of  the  day,  "Will  You  Come  to  the  Bower  ? " 

"  Dan,  be  careful  of  yourself ! "  cried  Amos 
Radbury,  as  he  pressed  his  son's  hand.  "  Be  care- 
ful for  my  sake !  "  And  then  he  rushed  off  to  lead 
his  men  forward.  Dan's  face  was  pale,  but  his 
clear  eyes  shone  with  a  determination  that  could 
not  be  mistaken.  He  would  do  his  duty,  come 
what  might. 

"Vance's  bridge  has  been  cut  down  !  "  came  the 
cry.  "  You  must  fight  now  to  a  finish  !  Remem- 
ber the  Alamo !  " 

"Remember  the  Alamo!"  came  back  wildly. 
"Remember  the  Alamo!  Down  with  Santa 
Anna ! "  And  then  the  long  lines  rushed  on, 
straight  for  the  barricades  which  the  Mexicans 
had  erected. 


286  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

The  Mexicans  were  taken  completely  by  sur« 
prise,  for  it  had  grown  so  late  that  they  had  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  hostilities  would  be  put  off 
until  the  next  day.  Santa  Anna  was  taking  a  nap 
in  his  tent,  while  his  officers  lay  around  smoking 
and  playing  cards.  The  soldiers  were  partaking 
of  such  food  as  their  scanty  means  afforded. 

"  Forward ! "  came  from  the  Texan  officers. 
"  Forward !  Don't  give  them  time  to  form  !  " 
And  on  swept  the  line,  and  crack !  crack !  went 
the  rifles  and  pistols.  Some  of  the  Mexicans  tried 
to  return  the  fire,  while  others  fell  flat  to  avoid  the 
bullets. 

"  The  cannon  ! "  shouted  the  Mexican  general, 
Castrillon,  when  a  bullet  killed  him  instantly. 
Some  of  the  cannoneers  were  already  at  the  field- 
pieces,  but  they  could  do  little,  for  the  Texans 
were  already  upon  them.  The  smoke  was  thick, 
and  the  yelling  upon  both  sides  incessant.  In  the 
midst  of  all  was  General  Houston,  firing  his  pistol 
and  using  his  sword  to  every  possible  advantage, 
and  calling  to  his  men  to  remember  the  Alamo  and 
not  let  one  Mexican  get  away. 

Side  by  side  Amos  Radbury  and  Dan  gained  the 
barricade.  A  Mexican  loomed  up  before  them  and 
the  lieutenant  despatched  him  with  a  pistol-shot. 
Then  over  the  barricade  went  father  and  son,  Dan 
using  his  empty  gun  as  a  club,  and  the  lieutenant 
drawing   his   bowie-knife,    a   weapon   with   which 


THE    VICTORY  OF  SAN  JACINTO.  287 

nearly  every  Texan  was  provided.  The  Texans 
came  over  at  leaps  and  bounds,  and  charged 
straight  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  camp, 
striking  down  every  Mexican  that  opposed  them. 

Coming  out  of  his  tent,  Santa  Anna  yelled  to 
his  men  to  arm  themselves  and  form  into  battle- 
line.  But  the  confusion  was  so  great  that  none  of 
his  followers  paid  attention  to  him.  The  Texans 
were  aroused  as  never  before,  and  struck  at  the 
Mexicans  with  such  lightning-like  rapidity  that  the 
enemy  was  dazed,  and  scores  of  them  fell  upon  their 
knees  begging  for  mercy.  The  shooting  still  con- 
tinued, and  now  Dan  was  horrified  to  see  his 
father  go  down,  stabbed  in  the  leg  by  a  Mexican 
bayonet. 

"  Father  !  "  he  yelled,  hoarsely,  and  then  turned 
to  the  Mexican  who  had  done  the  deed.  The 
fellow  tried  to  pierce  Dan  with  his  steel,  but 
more  by  instinct  than  reason  the  youth  leaped  to 
one  side.  Then  Dan's  gun  came  crashing  down, 
and  the  Mexican  with  it,  his  skull  cracked  by  the 
force  of  the  blow. 

A  crowd  was  now  rushing  that  way,  a  score  of 
Mexicans  pursued  by  fully  as  many  Texans,  and 
Dan  had  his  hands  full  to  keep  his  parent  from 
being  trampled  upon.  There  was  a  strange  hum- 
ming in  the  boy's  ears,  and  he  seemed  to  be  lifted 
up  as  though  walking  on  air,  while  he  panted  for 
breath. 


288  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"Keep  off, — he  is  my  father!"  he  screamed, 
and  hurled  one  of  the  Mexicans  to  one  side.  Then 
another  came  to  take  his  place,  and  man  and  boy 
rolled  over  on  the  prairie  -  grass  close  to  the 
wounded  lieutenant.  The  Mexican  had  Dan  by 
the  throat  when  a  Texan,  rushing  forward,  kicked 
the  enemy  in  the  head,  rendering  him  partly 
unconscious. 

Leaping  up,  Dan  tried  to  collect  his  confused 
senses.  Texans  and  Mexicans  were  running  in 
every  direction,  but  at  a  glance  he  saw  that  his 
own  side  had  the  best  of  the  battle,  and  a  prayer 
of  thankfulness  burst  from  his  lips.  Then  he  saw 
General  Houston  go  down,  struck  in  the  ankle  by 
a  bullet.  Yet  the  staunch  commander  kept  to  his 
post.     His  horse  was  also  shot  several  times. 

At  last  the  Mexicans  were  in  full  retreat.  Para- 
lysed with  fear,  some  of  them  sought  the  open 
prairie,  where  they  were  shot  down  by  the  Texan 
sharpshooters,  while  others  ran  frantically  for 
where  the  Vance  bridge  had  been  located.  Here 
the  banks  of  the  river  were  high  and  rocky,  and 
but  few  escaped  to  the  opposite  side. 

The  battle  had  been  fought  and  won,  but  the 
end  was  not  yet.  On  the  prairie,  one  of  the  Mexi- 
can commanders  tried  to  make  a  stand,  but  the 
Texans  shot  down  the  line  almost  as  quickly 
as  it  was  formed.  Then  the  Mexicans  began  to 
throw  down  their  firearms,  and  the  officers  held 


THE    VICTORY  OF  SAN  JACINTO.  289 

up  their  swords,  handles  to  the  front,  as  a  token 
of  surrender. 

"  It's  too  late  to  surrender  !  "  cried  a  number  of 
Texans.  "  Remember  the  Alamo  !  "  Meaning, 
"  Remember  how  you  butchered  our  soldiers  !  " 

"  Me  no  Alamo  !  Me  no  Alamo ! "  shrieked 
many  of  the  Mexicans.  "  Good  Americano  !  Me 
no  Alamo !  "  They  wished  the  Texans  to  under- 
stand that  they  were  not  responsible  for  the 
cold-blooded  slaughter  at  the  mission.  At  last 
Colonel  Almonte  gathered  together  nearly  four 
hundred  of  the  defeated  and  made  a  formal  sur- 
render, and  to  the  everlasting  honour  of  Texas  be 
it  said  that  these  prisoners  were  not  maltreated. 

The  night  that  followed  was  one  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. Santa  Anna  had  escaped,  and  while  some 
ran  around  crying,  "Santa  Anna!  Hunt  down 
Santa  Anna ! "  others  procured  from  the  Mexi- 
cans' store  a  number  of  candles,  which  they  lit, 
and  then  formed  a  grand  procession  through  the 
live-oak  grove  and  across  the  prairie,  dancing  and 
yelling  like  a  lot  of  Indians.  The  victory  had 
been  so  long  delayed  that  now,  when  it  was 
really  theirs,  they  were  intoxicated  with  joy. 

The  contest  had  been  a  remarkable  one  in  many 
ways.  The  Texan  army  numbered  exactly  743, 
of  whom  eight  were  killed  and  thirty  wounded. 
Santa  Anna's  force  numbered  over  sixteen  hun- 
dred, and  of  these,  630  were  killed,  two  hundred 


29O  FOR    THE   LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

wounded,  and  730  made  prisoners.  The  enemy 
had  lost,  in  killed  and  wounded,  more  men  than 
the  Texan  army  contained,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
battle  the  Texans  had  more  prisoners  than  they  had 
men  in  the  ranks  !  Besides  prisoners,  the  Texans 
took  over  a  thousand  firearms,  two  hundred  sabres, 
four  hundred  horses  and  mules,  and  about  $12,000 
in  silver.  Part  of  the  money  was  divided  among 
the  soldiers,  each  man  receiving  $7.50,  and  that 
was  his  entire  pay  for  the  campaign. 

The  Texans  were  bound  to  find  Santa  Anna, 
and  scouts  went  out  in  all  directions  in  search  of 
him.  On  the  following  day  he  was  discovered  in 
the  long  grass  near  the  edge  of  a  ravine,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  He  tried  to  hide  in  the 
grass,  but  was  compelled  to  crawl  out  and  sur- 
render. At  first  he  claimed  to  be  a  private,  but 
his  jewels  betrayed  him,  and  then  he  said  he  was 
one  of  Santa  Anna's  aides-de-camp.  But  no  one 
believed  him,  and  he  was  taken  into  the  Texan 
camp  without  delay.  Here  there  was  a  most 
dramatic  scene  between  General  Houston  and  his 
noted  prisoner.  Houston,  exhausted  and  covered 
with  the  dirt  of  battle,  lay  at  the  foot  of  a  tree, 
where  he  had  just  taken  a  nap  after  having  his 
ankle  dressed. 

"I  am  General  Antonio  Lopez  de  Santa  Anna, 
President  of  the  Mexican  Republic,"  said  that 
individual,  as  he  bowed  low  and  flashed  his  jewels 


THE    VICTORY  OF  SAN  JACINTO.  29 1 

and  military  decorations  before  Houston.  "  I 
claim  to  be  a  prisoner  of  war  at  your  disposal." 

General  Houston  regarded  him  in  utter  silence 
for  several  seconds,  a  silence  in  which  each  man 
measured  the  other  thoroughly.  Plainly  Santa 
Anna  was  disconcerted,  and  he  looked  around 
nervously,  as  if  expecting  that  at  any  moment 
he  might  be  shot  in  the  back.  Then  Houston 
waved  him  to  a  seat  on  a  near-by  box  of  ammuni- 
tion. 

An  interpreter  was  called  up,  and  Santa  Anna 
asked  for  a  piece  of  opium,  saying  he  was  suffering 
much  pain.  The  opium  was  given  him  and  this 
quieted  his  nerves. 

"  That  man  may  consider  himself  born  to  no 
common  destiny  who  has  conquered  the  Napoleon 
of  the  West,"  went  on  the  Mexican  general,  bom- 
bastically. "  It  now  remains  for  him  to  be  generous 
to  the  vanquished." 

Again  Houston  looked  at  him,  a  look  that  made 
Santa  Anna  quail. 

"You  should  have  remembered  that  at  the 
Alamo,"  said  the  Texan  commander. 

"  I  am  not  to  blame  —  I  acted  under  the  orders 
of  the  government  of  Mexico,"  cried  Santa  Anna, 
hastily,  and  tried  to  explain  that  there  was  a  law 
which  held  that  prisoners  taken  with  arms  must 
be  treated  as  pirates.  But  Houston  cut  the  inter- 
preter short  when  translating  the  words. 


292  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

"  Who  is  the  government  of  Mexico  ? "  he 
exclaimed.  "  You,  and  you  alone,  and  you  are 
responsible  for  the  law  that  made  the  slaughter 
at  the  Alamo  possible.  And  you  are  likewise 
responsible  for  the  massacre  at  Goliad !  "  went 
on  Houston,  with  great  intensity  of  feeling. 

"  No,  no,  you  are  mistaken,"  answered  Santa 
Anna,  and  then  tried  to  excuse  the  massacre  of 
Fannin  and  his  men  in  various  ways.  He  wanted 
to  treat  for  peace  and  for  his  release,  but  Houston 
told  him  that  only  the  government  of  Texas  had 
jurisdiction  in  the  matter.  Then  Santa  Anna  was 
placed  in  a  tent,  given  his  private  baggage,  and  a 
strong  guard  was  set,  that  some  of  the  more  head- 
strong of  the  Texans  might  not  kill  him. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

BACK  TO  THE  RANCH CONCLUSION. 

Immediately  after  the  battle,  Dan  sought  out 
medical  aid  and  had  his  father  attended  to.  Mr. 
Radbury  was  still  unconscious,  and  for  several  days 
it  was  not  known  whether  he  would  live  or  die. 
During  all  that  time,  his  son  remained  at  his  side, 
hoping  and  praying  for  the  best.  At  last  the 
planter  was  pronounced  out  of  danger,  but  the 
wound  had  been  a  deep  one  and  it  was  doubtful 
if  Mr.  Radbury  would  ever  be  as  strong  again  as 
he  had  been. 

While  father  and  son  were  at  the  temporary 
hospital  which  the  Texans  had  opened,  Dan 
made  a  discovery  which  filled  him  with  interest. 
Among  the  Mexican  prisoners  that  had  been 
taken,  the  youth  found  a  man  from  San  Antonio 
whom  he  knew  well,  —  a  person  who  had  joined 
Santa  Anna's  army  after  the  fall  of  the  Alamo. 
During  a  talk  with  this  individual,  he  learned  that 
Carlos  Martine  was  also  in  the  army,  having  joined 
at  the  same  time. 

"  I  must  find  that  man  and  have  a  talk  with 
293 


294  F0R    THE   LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

him,"  said  Dan  to  himself,  and  as  soon  as  his 
father  was  a  little  better  he  set  out  on  his  hunt. 

He  had  not  made  many  inquiries,  when  he 
learned  that  Carlos  Martine  was  dead,  having  been 
shot  down  while  trying  to  escape  across  the  open 
prairie,  and  the  body  had  already  been  put  away. 

"But  what  of  the  dead  —  were  the  things  in 
their  pockets  buried  with  them  ? "  asked  Dan  of 
one  of  the  Texan  guards. 

"  No,  their  pockets  were  emptied,  and  every- 
thing  found  was  turned  over  to  the  quartermas- 
ter," was  the  reply,  and  then  the  youth  went  to 
the  officer  named  and  told  him  of  Martine  and  of 
the  missing  papers. 

"  Here  is  a  lot  of  stuff,  Radbury.  You  can 
look  it  over  and  see  if  there  is  anything  there 
belonging  to  your  father." 

Dan  examined  the  pile  with  care,  and  presently 
came  upon  the  papers,  safe  and  sound,  just  as  they 
had  been  stolen  by  Hank  Stiger. 

"They  are  here!"  he  cried,  and  passed  them 
over  for  examination.  "Won't  father  be  glad  of 
this ! "  And  off  he  ran  a  little  later  to  tell  his 
parent.  Amos  Radbury  could  scarcely  speak,  but 
his  satisfaction  shone  in  his  eyes. 

"It  is  a  great  relief,"  he  murmured.  "They 
cannot  disturb  my  home  now."  And  then  he 
added  with  a  sigh,   "  I  wish  I  were  there  now ! " 

"All  in  good  time,  father,"  said  Dan,  affection- 


BACK  TO    THE   RANCH.  295 

ately.  "We  have  truly  nothing  more  to  fear. 
Santa  Anna  is  whipped  and  has  already  sent  word 
that  his  other  troops  must  withdraw.  The  inde- 
pendence of  Texas  is  assured  beyond  a  doubt." 

Dan  was  right  in  what  he  said.  Not  long  after 
Santa  Anna's  defeat  the  remainder  of  his  army 
was  in  full  retreat.  As  they  fell  back  they  were 
closely  watched  by  the  Texans,  but  no  further 
fighting  took  place. 

The  government  of  Texas  had  retired  to  Gal- 
veston, but  as  soon  as  the  victory  of  San  Jacinto 
became  known,  President  Burnett  and  his  cabinet 
hurried  to  the  Texan  camp  and  opened  negotia- 
tions with  Santa  Anna.  The  Mexican  general 
was  ready  to  promise  almost  anything  in  return 
for  his  liberty,  and  Houston  suggested  that  he  be 
made  to  recognise  the  independence  of  Texas, 
that  the  Rio  Grande  River  should  become  the 
boundary  between  the  independent  State  and  Mex- 
ico, that  all  Texan  prisoners  should  be  released, 
that  all  private  property  should  be  restored,  and 
numerous  other  things,  all  of  which  were  after- 
ward embodied  in  a  treaty  signed  at  Velasco, 

Yet  even  then  Santa  Anna  was  not  given  his 
liberty.  The  people  were  aroused  to  the  depths 
of  their  very  souls  and  they  feared  that  the  "  Mex- 
ican Butcher  "  could  not  be  trusted.  Against  the 
advice  of  many  he  was  put  into  prison,  and  it  was 
not  until  nearly  a  year  later  that  he  was  allowed 


296  FOR    THE  LIBERTY  OF   TEXAS. 

to  return  to  Mexico.  Here  he  found  himself  "  out 
in  the  cold  "  in  more  ways  than  one,  and  highly 
disgusted  he  retired  to  his  estate  at  Mango  del 
Clavo,  not  to  be  heard  of  again  for  some  time  to 
come. 

With  the  closing  of  the  war  matters  waxed  hot 
in  Texas  politically,  but  with  politics  Amos  Rad- 
bury  had  little  to  do.  As  soon  as  he  was  able,  he 
returned  to  his  ranch  on  the  Guadalupe,  where 
both  he  and  Dan  were  received  in  a  warm  manner 
by  Ralph  and  the  ever  faithful  Poke  Stover  and 
Pompey. 

"  You  are  both  heroes,"  cried  the  youngest 
Radbury.  And  then  he  added,  with  all  the  ardor 
of  youth  :  "  How  I  wish  I  had  been  along  !  " 

"  Never  mind,  lad,  your  time  may  come  some 
day,"  said  Poke  Stover. 

"  If  it  dun  cum  dat  boy  will  prove  as  brave  as 
any  of  dem,"  said  Pompey.  "  Yo'  see,  it's  in  de 
Radbury  blood,  wot  fit  in  de  Rebolution,  de  wah 
ob  18 12  and  de  Injun  wahs.  Da  can't  help  it  no 
moah  dan  da  kin  help  eatin',  he  !  he  !  "  And  he 
slapped  his  thigh  enthusiastically.  That  evening 
Pompey  served  the  "spread  of  his  life,"  as  Dan 
designated  it,  and  never  were  a  party  happier  than 
the  Radburys  and  Poke  Stover  as  they  sat  and  ate 
and  drank,  and  talked  over  the  many  things  which 
had  happened  since  the  first  trouble  with  the 
Indians. 


BACK   TO    THE   RANCH.  297 

"But  I  am  glad  it  is  over,"  said  Amos  Radbury. 
"  Glad  it  is  over,  and  equally  glad  that  we  are  all 
home  once  more." 

Here  let  us  bring  to  a  close  this  tale  of  the  war, 
"For  the  Liberty  of  Texas."  Summer  was  now 
at  hand,  and  as  soon  as  Dan  felt  rested  he  and 
Ralph,  assisted  by  Pompey,  set  to  work  to  put  the 
ranch  in  order  and  attend  to  the  stock,  which  had 
suffered  more  or  less  from  neglect.  Later  on, 
both  Mr.  Radbury  and  Poke  Stover  joined  in  the 
labour,  and  before  fall  everything  was  running  as 
smoothly  as  it  had  the  spring  previous. 

The  liberty  of  Texas  had  been  assured,  but  the 
people  were  not  satisfied,  and  clamoured  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  United  States.  In  a  few  years  this 
was  accomplished,  and  Texas  became  as  she  is 
to-day,  the  largest  State  in  our  glorious  Union. 
Then  followed  trouble  about  the  boundary  line 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  and  soon 
war  was  declared  between  the  two  principal  re- 
publics of  North  America.  The  further  adven- 
tures of  the  Radburys  before  this  war  and  through 
a  portion  of  it  will  be  told  in  the  next  volume  of 
this  series,  to  be  entitled,  "  With  Taylor  on  the 
Rio  Grande,"  in  which  we  shall  meet  all  of  our 
old  friends  once  more,  and  learn  what  they  did  to 
defeat  both  their  personal  enemies  and  also  the 
enemies  of  their  country. 


298  FOR    THE    LIBERTY  OF  TEXAS. 

Yet  for  the  time  being  all  went  well,  and  here 
we  will  say  good-bye,  echoing  the  shout  Ralph 
gives  as  he  dashes  over  the  range  on  his  pet 
mustang : 

"  Hurrah  for  the  liberty  of  Texas  !  Hurrah  for 
the  heroes  of  San  Jacinto  !  " 


THE    END. 


Mr.  Stratemeyer's  popularity  will  be  increased  by  "Dave 
Porter."— Times,  Hartford,  Conn. 

DAVE  PORTER  SERIES 

By  EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 

VOLUME  ONE 

DA  VE  PORTER  A  T  OAK  HALL 

Or  the  Schooldays  of  an  American  ^Boy 

312  pages    Illustrated    Price  $1.25 

NJEVER  was  there  a  brighter,  more  manly,  thoroughly  up-to-date  boy 
than  Dave  Porter,  and  all  boys  who  read  about  him,  and  girls  too, 
for  the  matter  of  that,  will  be  sure  to  love  him  from  the  start.  How,  as 
a  green  country  boy,  he  went  to  Oak  Hall,  how  he  was  hazed,  and  how 
he  had  to  fight  his  way  through  is  told  with  a  naturalness  that  is  true 
to  life. 
The  story  is  told  with  great  fidelity  to  real  life. — Eagle,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

VOLUME  TWO 

DAVE  PORTER  IN  THE  SOUTH  SEAS 

Or  The  Strange  Cruise  of  the  Stormy  Petrel 

286  pages     Illustrated    Price  $1.25 

T^AVE  is  the  same  bright,  wide-awake  youth  he  was  at  school,  and  his 

adventures  on  shipboard  and  among  the  unexplored  islands  of  the 

South  Seas  will  render  him  dearer  to  the  hearts  of  the  boys  than  ever.  Dave 

is  trying  to  solve  the  mystery  of  his  parentage,  and  several  of  his  school 

chums  are  with  him  during  his  wanderings,  some  sharing  his  perils.     A 

great  tidal  wave  sends  the  ship  into  a  strange  harbor  and  there  follows  a 

mutiny  which  places  a  number  on  board  in  great  peril. 

Mr.  Stratemeyer's  heroes  are  full  of  fun,  and  the  activity  that  goes  with  youth, 
strength  and  high  spirits.  They  are  all  safe — they  work  hard  and  play  fairly. 
— Star,    Washington,   D.  C. 

Mr.  Stratemeyer  has  seldom  introduced  a  more  popular  hero  than  Dave  Porter. 
He  is  a  typical  boy,  manly,  brave,  always  ready  for  a  good  time  if  it  can  be  obtained 
in  an  honorable  way. —  Wisconsin,  Milwaukee,    Wis. 


DAVE  PORTER  SERIES 

By  EDWARD  5TRATEHEYER 

VOLUME  THREE 

DAVE  PORTER'S  RETURN  TO  SCHOOL 
Or  Winning  the  Medal  of  Honor 

304  pages    Illustrated    Price  $1.25 

TN  this  volume  the  scene  is  shifted  back  to  Oak  Hall,  and  once  again 
*■  Dave  becomes  the  centre  of  as  interesting  a  group  of  schoolboys  as  it  is 
psssible  to  imagine.  There  is  a  strong  plot,  with  plenty  of  fun,  and  not 
a  few  rivalries  on  the  athletic  field,  and  the  whole  volume  has  a  swing 
and  a  dash  that  are  irresistible. 

A  good  wholesome  story,  full  of  fun  and  go. —  Christian    Work,   JV.   Y. 
Hach  story  that  comes  from  Edward  Stratemeyer's  pen  is  eagerly  read. — Boston 
Herald. 

VOLUME  FOUR 

DAVE  PORTER  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 

Or  The  Pluck  of  an  American  Schoolboy 

285  pages     Illustrated    Price  $1.25 

TN  this  book  Dave  is  still  at  his  well-liked  boarding-school,  Oak  Hall, 
*■  with  his  lively  but  manly  comrades,  who  rejoice  with  him  that  he  not 
only  has  discovered  his  parentage,  but  has  a  father  and  sister  living,  though 
unaware  of  his  existence.  Dave  cannot  rest  until  he  finds  those  of  his 
own  family,  and  having  secured  leave  of  absence  from  school  and  accom- 
panied by  his  chum,  the  son  of  a  United  States  Senator,  he  goes  to 
England  only  to  find  that  his  father  has  left  on  an  expedition  to  the  upper 
part  of  Norway.  The  boys  follow  in  a  most  exciting  pursuit  which  is 
replete  with  adventure. 

The  success  of  the  "Dave  Porter  Series"  is  already  surpassing  Mr.  Stratemeyer's 
previous  triumphs. — American,  Nashville,    Tenn. 

Dave  Porter  is  a  typical  American  schoolboy,  a  scholar,  an  athlete  and  a  good 
fellow. — Herald,  Rochester,  N.   Y. 


GOOD  BOOKS  FOR  BOYS 

By  EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 

TWO  YOUNG  LUMBERMEN 

Or  From  Maine  to  Oregon  for  Fortune 

320  pages    Cloth    Illustrated    Price  $1.25 

A  SPLENDID  story,  the  scene  shifting  from  Maine  to 
Michigan  and  the  Great  Lakes,  and  then  to  the  Col- 
umbia and  the  Great  Northwest.  The  heroes  are  two  sturdy 
youths  who  have  been  brought  up  among  the  lumbermen 
of  their  native  State,  and  who  strike  out  in  an  honest  en- 
deavor  to  better  their  condition.  An  ideal  volume  for  every 
wide-awake  American  who  wishes  to  know  what  our  great 
lumber  industry  is  to-day. 

Mr.  Stratemeyer  s  books  ate  not  only  entertaining  but  instructive. — Daily 
Press,  Portland,  Me. 

Profitable  reading  for  its  information  concerning  a  great  American  indus- 
try.—  Outlook,  New  York. 

The  book  is  an  excellent  one  for  youngsters. — Republican,  Springfield, 
Mass. 

A  rattling  good  story. — Herald,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Mr.  Stratemeyer  is  able  to  give  an  air  of  reality  to  his  work  which  com- 
mends it. —  Chicago  News. 

BETWEEN  BOER  AND  BRITON 

Or  Two  Boys'  Adventures  in  South  Africa 

Illustrated  by  A.  Burnham  Shute    354  pages    Price  $1.25 

RELATES  the  experiences  of  two  boys,  cousins  to 
each  other,  one  American  and  the  other  English, 
whose  fathers  are  engaged  in  the  Transvaal,  one  in  farming 
and  the  other  in  mining  operations.  While  the  two  boys 
are  off  on  a  hunting  trip  after  big  game  the  war  between 
the  Boers  and  Britons  suddenly  breaks  out,  and  while  en- 
deavoring to  rejoin  their  parents  the  boys  find  themselves 
placed  between  hostile  armies. 

A  stirring  story  of  the  South  African  War. — ■  The  Journal,  Indianapolis , 
Ind. 

Mr.  Stratemeyer  certainly  gets  right  next  to  the  boys'  heart  in  his  excel- 
lent stories  of  adventure. — News,  Providence,  R.  I. 

The  author  is  one  of  the  most  accomplished  writers  for  the  young.— 
San  Francisco  Chronicle^ 


THE    COLONIAL    SERIES 


By   EDWARD   STRATEMEYER 

Jmtbtr    «f    "Pan-American     Series"     "Old    Glory    Series" 
"  American  Boys'   Biographical  Series,"   etc. 


Six  volumes      Cloth      Illustrated     Price  per  volume,  $1.25 


TRAILS0 
TRADING  POSTS 


WITH  WASHINGTON  IN  THE  WEST 
Or  A  Soldier  Boy's  Battles  in  the  Wilderness 

MARCHING  ON  NIAGARA 
Or  The  Soldier  Boys  of  the  Old  Frontier 

AT  THE  FALL  OF  MONTREAL 
Or  A  Soldier  Boy's  Final  Victory 

ON  THE  TRAIL  OF  PONTIAC 
Or  The  Pioneer  Boys  of  the  Ohio 

THE  FORT  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 
Or  The  Soldier  Boys  of  the  Indian  Trails 

TRAIL  AND  TRADING  POST 
Or  The  Young  Hunters  of  the  Ohio 

"Mr.  Stratemeyer  has  put  his  best  work  into  the  'Colonial  Series."' 
— Christian  Register,  Boston. 

"A  series  that  doesn't  fall  so  very  far  short  of  being  history  itself." 
— Boston  Courier. 

"The  tales  of  war  are  incidental  to  the  dramatic  adventures  of  two 
boys*  so  well  told  that  the  historical  facts  are  all  the  better  remem- 
bered."— Boston  Globe. 

"  Edward  Stratemeyer  has  in  many  volumes  shown  himself  master 
of  the  art  of  producing  historic  studies  in  the  pleasing  story  form." 
—  Minneapolis  Journal. 

"  The  author,  Edward  Stratemeyer,  has  used  his  usual  care  in  matters 
of  historical  detail  and  accuracy,  and  gives  a  splendid  picture  of  the 
times  in  general." — Milwaukee  Sentinel. 

"  Told  by  one  who  knows  how  to  write  so  as  to  interest  boys,  while 
still  having  a  care  as  to  accuracy." —  Commercial  Advertiser,  New  York. 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers^  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  oj  price  by 

LOTHROP,    LEE    &   SHEPARD   CO.. 
BOSTON 


THE   FAMOUS  "OLD   GLORY   SERIES 


By   EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 

Author  of  "  Tke  Bound  to  Succeed  Series?  «  The  Skip  and  Shore 
Series?  "  Colonial  Series?  **  Pan-American  Series?  etc 

Six  volumes       Cloth       Illustrated        Price  per  volume  $1,25 

UNDER  DEWEY  AT  MANILA 

*  Or  The  War  Fortunes  of  a  Castaway 

A  YOUNG  VOLUNTEER  IN  CUBA 
Or  Fighting  for  the  Single  Star 

FIGHTING  IN  CUBAN  WATERS 

Or  Under  Schley  on  the  Brookrpa 

UNDER  OTIS  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 
Or  A  Young  Officer  in  the  Tropics 

THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  THE  JUNGLE 
Or  Under  Lawtoa  through  Luzo» 

UNDER  MACARTHUR  IN  LUZON 
Or  Last  Battles  in  the  Philippine 

"A  boy  once  addieted  to  Stratemeyer  stays  by  him."  —  The  Living 

Church. 

"  The  boys'  delight  —she  *  Old  Glory  Series. »  "  —  The  Christian  Ad- 
vocate, New  York. 

"  Stratemeyer 's  style  suits  the  boys." — JOHN  TwunjXU,  St#t.  efAth- 
tic  Instruction,  Bergen  Co.,  Neva  Jersey. 

"  Mr.  Stratemeyer  is  in  a  class  by  himself  when  it  comes  to  writing 
about  American  heroes,  their  brilliant  doings  on  land  and  sea."  —  Times, 
Boston. 

"  Mr.  Stratemeyer  has  written  a  series  of  books  which,  whilt  histori- 
cally correct  and  embodying  the  most  important  features  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War  and  the  rebellion  of  the  Filipinos,  arc  sufficiently  inter- 
woven with  fiction  to  render  them  most  entertaining  to  young  readers." 

'  The  Call,  San  Francisco, 


ft 

fbr  sale  by  ail  book—Uers-er  a*U,po»tpaldtem  rmetpt  ^fpHm  by 

Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


American  Boys'  Biographical  Series 

By  EDWARD   STRATEMEYER 

VOLUME  ONE 

AMERICAN  BOYS' 

LIFE  OF  WILLIAM  McKINLEY 

300  pages     Illustrated  by  A.  B.  Shute  and  from  Photo- 
graphs   $1.25 

HERE  is  told  the  whole  story  of  McKinley's  boyhood  days,  his  life 
at  school  and  at  college,  his  work  as  a  school  teacher,  his  glorious 
career  in  the  army,  his  struggles  to  obtain  a  footing  as  a  lawyer, 
his  efforts  as  a  Congressman  and  a  Governor,  and  lastly  his  prosperous 
career  as  our  President,  all  told  in  a  style  particularly  adapted  to  beys  and 
young  men.  The  book  is  full  of  interesting  anecdotes,  all  taken  from 
life,  showing  fully  the  sincere,  honest,  painstaking  efforts  of  a  life  cut  all 
too  short.  The  volume  will  prove  an  inspiration  to  all  boys  and  young 
men,  and  should  be  in  every  library. 

For  nearly  a  year  Mr.  Stratemeyer  has  been  gathering  material  and 
giving  careful  study  to  the  life  of  the  young  William,  his  childhood,  his 
boyhood,  and  all  his  inspiring  and  romantic  history.  The  story  was  near- 
ing  its  end  when  th&  awful  finale  came  and  tragedy  ended  the  drama  of 
President  McKinley's  life.  — iWw  York  Journal. 

VOLUME  TWO 

AMERICAN  BOYS'  LIFE  OF 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

300  pages     i2mo    Illustrated  from  Photographs    $1.25 

THIS  excellent  work  for  young 
people  covers  the  whole  life  of 
our  strenuous  executive,  as  school- 
boy, college  student,  traveler,  author, 
hunter  and  ranchman,  as  assembly- 
man, as  civil  service  commissioner, 
as  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
as  a  daring  rough  rider,  as  Governor 
of  New  York,  and  lastly  as  President. 
Full  of  stories  taken  from  real  life 
and  told  in  a  manner  to  interest  both 
young  and  old. 

We  unreservedly  recommend  Mr.  Strate- 
naeyer's  books  ror  bovs.  They  are  wholesome,  accurate  as  to  historical 
detailb)  and  always  interesUng-.— Boston  Times, 


.    •  .■■;■..'- 


